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New Zealand Sugar Company (NZSC), trading as Chelsea Sugar, has been fined $149,500 for manufacturing, distributing and selling sugar products contaminated with lead.
In November and December, 2021, the company recalled thousands of packs of sugar products because of potential low-level lead contamination.
Two other product recalls were needed when it was later discovered NZSC provided incorrect information to supermarkets, resulting in more sugar products being released to consumers.
“These recalls had a significant impact on consumer access to certain sugar products, such as brown sugar,” New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle says.
“It also affected a large number of other businesses which had to recall products made with the contaminated sugar.”
In the Auckland District Court, the company was sentenced on two charges it pleaded guilty to in May last year, including breaching its National Programme (NP), which is designed to manage any food risk to consumers, along with negligently endangering, harming, creating, or increasing risk to consumers by distributing its product.
A sentencing hearing was held in September last year and the court has released its reserved decision today, February 7.
“New Zealand Sugar Company knew what its responsibilities were to consumers – ensuring the safety and suitability of its products and managing any potential risk to consumers,” Arbuckle says.
“It failed to properly detect the extent of lead contamination until after the imported sugar had been used in production.
“Offending at this scale is rare, and the court’s sentence today sends a strong message that it will not be tolerated.”
In September, 2021, the New Zealand Sugar Company (NZSC) imported sugar from Australia that became contaminated with lead during sea transport.
From this sugar it manufactured and distributed 971 tonnes of contaminated sugar products to businesses in New Zealand.
“Although the short-term exposure to increased lead levels through these sugar products would not have endangered people’s health, we cannot afford to take a chance on public health,” Arbuckle says.
People who have concerns about a food product can contact New Zealand Food Safety on 0800 00 83 33 or use its online food complaint tool available here.
