‘God is my boss, not MPI’: Woman vows to keep selling unsafe juice
A woman whose unpasteurised fruit juice was recalled over fears it could make people ill says she won’t stop selling the juice unless someone gets sick.
Juice produced and sold door-to-door, at markets and online by Our Fruit Box (OFB) was recalled by New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) on April 4, due to the company not being registered under the Food Act.
Businesses registered under the act must have plans in place to identify and address food safety risks during the growing, harvesting, manufacturing and sale process.
NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said it was crucial for OFB to have food safety controls in place for its unpasteurised juice.
Anyone who bought OFB’s juice was advised to throw it away, as it could contain pathogens such as E.coli, salmonella or norovirus, which made it unsafe to drink, particularly for children, the elderly, pregnant people or those who are immunocompromised, NZFS said.
There had been no reports of anyone falling ill after consuming the juice so far.
OFB owner Jade Tatana told Stuff she would continue to produce and sell juice without registering her business under the Food Act.
“We’re going to continue doing what we’re doing whether they like it or not,” she said.
“Until someone does get sick and they can prove it’s from our product, I won't stop.”
Tatana said she was not willing to pay fees to register with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
It can cost between $101 and $349 to register with MPI, depending on the type of food business, with renewals due annually or biannually, at a cost of $67 to $77. “God is my boss, not MPI,” she said. “They’re trying to dictate people who are trying to create their craft.”
In 2014, Tatana – whose full name is Riiria Jade Tatana – was convicted of forgery after she used a fake driver’s licence, which was custom-made for her in Bangkok. She was caught when she lost the fake licence and it was handed in to the Wānaka police station.
Tatana said she started OFB because she was “not the ideal employee” because of her history with the law.
“So I had to create something, and it’s working.”
Asked about her food safety processes, Tatana said the juice was frozen to “freeze out” bad bacteria before it was sold, to ensure it was safe for consumption.
According to a study by NZFS, undertaken due to a number of “major outbreaks” involving frozen produce in recent years, most bacterial and viral pathogens found on fresh fruit can survive being frozen.
Pasteurising her juice would also wipe out good bacteria, Tatana said.
“Our goal is to improve health.” Tatana wouldn’t talk about her sales model – it was her intellectual property, she claimed – but Stuff understands her tactic is to approach businesses to ask if they would like to purchase her juice for their staff.
“Prevention is better than cure with nutrients,” her website read.
Arbuckle said he was “extremely concerned and disappointed” to hear that Tatana would continue to sell her juice without a registration as per the Food Act unless someone fell ill or died.
“The reported comments reflect a lack of appreciation for her legal obligations, not to mention any concern for the health of consumers.”
“We would like to remind people not to consume juice from Our Fruit Box. and for orchard growers not to use their services, as we are concerned about the food safety risk.“
Arbuckle said he could not comment further while Our Fruit Box was under investigation.