Every day, 500 kiwis get food poisoning. It can take from as little as 20 minutes to several weeks to become unwell from contaminated food. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, muscle pain, headache and fever. Food poisoning can be a serious risk if you’re sick, pregnant, very young or elderly.
If you think you have food poisoning as a result of food you've eaten, report it to your local Health Protection Officer. You can also make a
food complaint.
Public Health's work includes:
Investigating cases and outbreaks of food poisoning to identify the source, stop the spread of illness and prevent it happening again.
To report food poisoning or food-borne illness contact:
Palmerston North
Public Health Service
Phone 06 350 9110 or publichealthops@midcentraldhb.govt.nz
Whanganui
Public Health Centre
Phone 06 348 1775 or phuwang@midcentraldhb.govt.nz
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) deal with queries on any of the following:
• foreign objects in food
• food has incorrect or misleading labelling
• food is being sold past its use-by date
• undeclared allergens in the food
• unlicensed sale or serving of food
• unhygienic or incorrect food handling, storage, transport or preparation.
Contact MPI phone on 0800 00 83 33 or email to info@mpi.govt.nz
Contact an Environmental Health Officer at your local council if you want to report a ‘dirty’ food premises or unhygienic practices of food handlers.