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Carla Amos / Things
Hello Fresh fish meal that contains potentially high levels of histamine.
About 20 people have contacted the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) saying they felt bad after eating fish from a Hello Fresh company food kit.
On Wednesday night, an ARPHS spokesperson said the health service had heard from clients in the previous 24 hours. Wellington customers have sought hospital care after eating.
Hello Fresh has advised customers not to eat one of their delivered meals. The company said its suppliers informed it of a problem with a batch of fish Monday night.
The Ministry of Primary Industries said it was still too early to say whether Hello Fresh would face any sanctions for this week’s incident.
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The courier company said the affected food may have contained elevated levels of histamine.
In a text and email message to customers, Hello Fresh said the affected batch was delivered this week for the recipe for “coconut fish and makrut lime sauce with jasmine rice and crispy shallots.”
“As a precautionary measure, we advise you not to consume the product … and we will reimburse you for the cost of the ingredient,” the message read.
High levels of histamine in shellfish can cause scombroid poisoning, where a number of symptoms such as itching, rash, nausea, and vomiting are caused by bacteria in the fish that may not have been properly cooled.
But the message came in on Monday, and for some customers, for whom deliveries came over the weekend, it was too late.
A Hello Fresh spokeswoman said she was working with her supplier to find out what had happened. I would give customers a $ 20 rebate.
Jessica Wilson, head of research at Consumer NZ, said a refund was the least the company needed to do.
“We think you might also consider doing something more for customers in recognition of the poor quality food they received.”
At MPI, New Zealand’s national food safety manager for food compliance, Melinda Sando, said it was too early to know what caused the problem or how the problem arose.
“Our focus at this time is to work with the company to understand how this problem occurred and prevent it from happening again. It is too early to say whether the company will face any penalties. “
Professor Michael Baker, from the University of Otago Department of Public Health, said that elevated histamine levels were a rare cause of food poisoning.
“It shouldn’t happen if the fish is fresh and stored properly.”
