Hello Fresh Food Poisoning: 20 More People Report Symptoms After Eating Bad Fish

At least 20 people have reported symptoms of food poisoning to health authorities after eating spoiled fish from the Hello Fresh food delivery service.

A spokesperson for the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) said that in the past 24 hours it has received around 20 calls from people who ate the food provided by the meal kit company.

When fish is not cooled properly, it can produce histamine which can be toxic to humans and lead to scombroid poisoning, according to the New Zealand food safety website.

Meanwhile, further south, the Greater Wellington Public Health Unit says it has also received a series of phone calls from “concerned members of the public.”

Hello Fresh customers were warned yesterday to discard the fish dish in their packages after the fish supplier of the home delivery service warned of elevated histamine levels in horse mackerel.

Three people were treated and released from the hospital yesterday after eating the horse mackerel food.

ARPHS Medical Health Officer Dr. Jay Harrower says symptoms of histamine or scombroid poisoning are often a combination of an allergic reaction and gastroenteritis.

Symptoms include tingling and burning around the mouth, facial flushing and diarrhea, rash, vomiting, dizziness, possibly shortness of breath and can last up to 48 hours, he says.

It usually doesn’t have long-term effects, he says.

“The illness generally begins between 30 minutes and an hour or two after consuming the fish,” says Harrower.

“There are some varieties of fish that are more likely to produce histamines at toxic levels, often when the fish is not kept cold.”

One of those varieties is horse mackerel.

New Zealand Food Safety is investigating how spoiled fish ended up being delivered to homes across the country from Saturday.

Melinda Sando, New Zealand’s national food safety food compliance manager, said it was too early to consider prosecuting the company over the problem.

“Our focus today is to establish the cause of the problem so that it can be addressed and the company can prevent it from happening again,” he says.

“New Zealand Food Safety has a variety of powers under the Food Act to require companies to take appropriate steps to ensure consumer safety.”

Failure to follow instructions can lead to a series of penalties, he says.

“Ultimately, the courts will decide the penalties through sentencing after a food safety prosecution in New Zealand.”

In a message to customers who ordered the meal kit, Hello Fresh apologized for the problem.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and will reimburse you for the cost of the ingredient. We want to assure you that the safety and quality of our ingredients is our top priority.”

Horse mackerel was an ingredient in a coconut, lime, and shallot dish.