Maggot issue: Know your rights
Maggots in a takeaway curry. Insects in pasta. A pantry infestation allegedly caused by bugs in a bag of supermarket rice.
This week, the news has been full of consumers claiming to have found things where they shouldn’t have been.
So what are your rights as a consumer when you find something dodgy in your food?
Last Friday, Snigdha Patra and Tushar Sagathia ordered several items from Auckland Indian restaurant Paradise, and claimed they found three dozen maggots in their kai.
The Sandringham restaurant then accused the couple of lying to ‘‘damage our brand image’’.
Consumer NZ’s Gemma Rasmussen said that under the Food Act, any place that sold or provided food needed to make sure it was safe and suitable to consume.
‘‘Food is unsuitable to eat in a range of circumstances, including if it contains something foreign, like maggots.
‘‘You would be within your rights to ask the restaurant for a refund and you may also want to consider making a food safety complaint to the Ministry for Primary Industries about a foreign object in your food.’’
New Zealand Food Safety’s deputy director-general, Vincent Arbuckle, said all food safety issues were investigated.
‘‘We welcome information from the public about potential food safety issues.
‘‘More information about food safety complaints and how they are addressed is on our website.’’
Under the Food Act, businesses could register either with New Zealand Food Safety or their local council.
‘‘Where businesses are registered with local councils – as is the case with Paradise – the council will follow up.’’
The ministry said it welcomed complaints about any potential problems with food and this could be the starting point to track down the source of an issue.
If a complaint was about foreign objects in a food, an allergic reaction, food sold past its use-by date or incorrect labelling, the ministry was the best place to start.
If something had been labelled in a way that was misleading about its place of origin or whether it was free-range or organic, that would be handled by the Commerce Commission.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment handles complaints about the weight or measurement of products.