Kiwis are being warned after a batch of poisonous peanuts was mistakenly released for sale in several supermarkets.
Those who have bought Prolife Foods Limited's Value Pack Roasted Salted Peanuts since 11 April could be snacking from the batch recalled on 5 April.
A statement from New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) said the nuts could contain dangerous levels of aflatoxins, which are produced by certain moulds.
The World Health Organization says aflatoxins are poisonous and large doses "can lead to acute poisoning (aflatoxicosis) and can be life threatening", usually through damage to the liver.
"Prolife Foods recalled specific batches of products containing peanuts last month over concerns that they could contain levels of aflatoxins above the allowable level in New Zealand," NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said.
"Disappointingly, some of these recalled products have been released for sale in error by Prolife."
Arbuckle said NZFS is now "investigating how this could have happened" and will work to "prevent it happening again."
He said Kiwis should check their pantry for any of the peanuts, and not consume them.
"Return them to the place of purchase for a refund."
The products affected by the recall are:
Value Pack (VP) Roasted Salted Peanuts (400g) with best-before dates of 08 OCT 2024 and 15 OCT 2024
The affected batch has been sold at New World, FreshChoice, Pak'nSave and Four Square stores nationwide.
"Aflatoxins are naturally occurring in many food products and are produced by a group of moulds that grow on foods produced in hot and tropical climates," Arbuckle explained.
"Levels of aflatoxin in the New Zealand diet are usually very low and don't represent a health risk, however, consumption of food products with increased levels of aflatoxin over an extended period of time can be harmful."
Arbuckle said "despite the health risk being low", the release of recalled products is concerning.
NZFS has not received any notifications of associated illness.
Those who have consumed the product and are concerned for their health are urged to contact a health professional or call Healthline on 0800 61 11 16.
