Crops that are ready to harvest must undergo testing for pathogenic microbes and be quarantined until deemed safe to eat, a produce industry leader says.
United Fresh New Zealand said today in a statement that consumers need to be prepared for fresh vegetable shortages in the coming weeks as floodwaters throughout the upper North Island impact food safety.
United Fresh Food Safety Representative, Anne-Marie Arts, says excess rainfall will affect the quality and shelf life of many crops.
“Flooding exposes fresh produce to microbial risk. If floodwaters come in contact with the edible part of the crop, it is considered to be contaminated and will not be harvested,” she says.
“After the flooding subsides, growers will not harvest the affected crops and will have special protocols for disposing the affected plant matter. Replanting the land will not occur for some time until it is dry and considered suitable. These delays might result in supply gaps of some varieties,” says Arts.
Crops that might be suitable to pick will now be quarantined until they are declared safe to eat by microbial testing.
The damage has been particularly severe in the city's 'food bowl' of Pukekohe. (Source: 1News)
Arts notes that those with home gardens must take the same precautions.
“Whether it’s a commercial farm or a home vegetable garden, floodwaters present a real risk to the health of your whānau,” says Arts.
“Floodwaters can flush through sewer systems and across rural land collecting human and animal waste. The waters may contain pathogens that can make you seriously ill,” she says.
“We’re advising anyone with a home garden that may have had floodwater enter to throw away affected plants immediately,” she says.
The severe weather event comes on top of a summer of rainy conditions which have already impacted the supply and price of fresh vegetables nationwide.
“Growers follow strict protocols to ensure the kai they provide is safe to eat. While this flood has worsened our supply situation, the whole industry will be working hard to get enough fresh vegetables to market in the coming months,” says Arts.
Hospitality industry severely impacted
Meanwhile, the hospitality industry is counting the cost of this weekend’s weather incident which has caused significant issues for many hospitality businesses across the North Island.
A survey by the Restaurant Association has shown that 85% of respondents have been impacted by the current weather situation.
Of those that responded to the survey, 75% have seen a significant downturn in trade, particularly in Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty areas where the anniversary weekend is traditionally a busy weekend.
Fifty-four per cent of respondents have experienced material damage to their business as a result of the weather and 55% have been forced to close their doors due to damage to their building. Respondents said other issues included, staff have been unable to travel to work (68%); road closures (40%) and reservation cancellations (20%).
Other issues included interruptions to the supply chain causing shortages of food.
“It’s clear that this weekend’s weather has caused widespread issues to our businesses,” said CEO Marisa Bidois.
“We’ve been taking calls all weekend from members looking for support and targeted communication to help them work through the situation and get back and running again.
“In particular businesses are looking for additional support negotiating with landlords and insurance companies to get back on their feet.”
On Sunday, the Restaurant Association met with local and central Government officials to update them on some of the most pressing issues for hospitality business and how they can support the recovery efforts.
This discussion included what support businesses may be able to access, including financial support through the Mayoral Assistance Fund.
The Restaurant Association has now put together an emergency response advice guide for hospitality businesses.
The guide includes information and links on employment relations, food safety measures, insurance assistance, support and financial assistance, health and wellbeing and more.
“We know that many businesses will be anxious, particularly with more rain expected,” continued Bidois. “We would like to remind all hospitality businesses that the Association is here to support them through this. The Association has a number of resources available to members to assist, including our emergency response information guide.”
“We will continue to keep members posted via the Restaurant Association website and social media channels about any further discussions and updates we receive.”
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