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The New Zealand Food Safety Authority believes good progress is being made on reducing the high number of people getting food poisoning from campylobacter.
The bacteria occurs naturally in the gut of poultry. In humans campylobacteriosis accounts for about 60 per cent of New Zealand's reported notifiable diseases.
Latest figures show 13,839 cases were notified in 2005. Estimates have put the annual cost to the economy at $75 million.
The authority and the Ministry for the Environment are both looking into how campylobacter gets from poultry to people and the authority said it was making good progress.
"We want to produce the greatest reductions in bacteria numbers as early as possible in the food chain, that is, as close to the farm as is practical and effective, and make further reductions at as many other points as is practical and effective," executive director Andrew McKenzie said.
Former Greens co-leader Rod Donald was a casualty of campylobacter.
Christchurch coroner Richard McElrea found Mr Donald was killed by a "very rare" complication, a heart infection after a bout of illness caused by campylobacter.
- NZPA
