Food company Gopals Sweet & Snacks Limited is recalling its Gopala brand paneer cheese due to the possible presence of listeria.
A statement from the Ministry for Primary Industries says, "the pathogen was discovered through testing of product following two complaints of sickness".
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle said the pathogens' long incubation period made it difficult to establish a definitive link between the two cases and the product.
"However, because of the detection of listeria in specific batches, we support the recall, and advise anyone who has bought paneer recently to take the precaution of checking the product date mark to see if it is affected," Arbuckle said.
"Importantly, cooking the paneer thoroughly until it is piping hot all the way through will kill the pathogen. People should not eat affected product raw.
"Listeria poisoning (called Listeriosis) can be serious in vulnerable people, including the young, the elderly, pregnant women and the immunocompromised.
“Healthy adults are likely to experience only mild infection, causing mild diarrhoea and flu-like symptoms."
The affected product is all batches and dates up to and including best before May 5 of Gopala brand paneer cheese sold in packets of various weights between 300g and 1kg.
It is sold at Foodstuffs, Countdown and specific grocery stores throughout New Zealand.
As part of the recall process, New Zealand Food Safely will be working closely with Gopals Sweet & Snacks Limited to establish how the issue arose and what actions might be required to prevent it recurring.
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