Council investigating bugs found in Kiwis' pasta

Monday, 30 May 2022

Footage filmed at an Invercargill house on Saturday, showing weevils, which were in a packet of San Remo dried spaghetti.

Auckland Council is investigating why Kiwis keep finding bugs in their San Remo pasta.

The manufacturer’s New Zealand importer is based in Penrose, making the council the relevant authority, but New Zealand Food Safety will step in if it can’t identify the source of the bugs locally.

This comes as multiple Kiwis have reported finding small bugs, presumably weevils, in their pasta packets.

An Invercargill couple said they could have done without the extra protein after finding 13 bugs in a packet of organic dried San Remo spaghetti during the weekend.

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An Invercargill couple headed down to a downtown café for lunch after finding bugs that looked like weevils in their spaghetti.

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On Sunday, a shopper from Rangiora said she too found the bugs in her spaghetti while others have been posting images of the bugs in their San Remo pasta on social media since April.

Consumer NZ’s Gemma Rasmussen says shoppers are entitled to a refund under the Consumer Guarantees Act if they find bugs in their food.

On Monday, New Zealand food safety deputy director general Vince Arbuckle said Auckland Council was in contact with the importer to investigate the situations.

“If the source is not identified then NZ Food Safety will contact the relevant Australian jurisdiction to investigate the manufacture site,” he said.

Shoppers who found bugs in the food should contact the retailer or manufacturer, or if that wasn’t possible, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Arbuckle said.

The Invercargill couple complained to the supermarket they bought the pasta off and were told they had taken the packets off the shelves.

Consumer Services national manager Simon Gallagher said the Consumer Guarantees Act required all products to be fit for their normal purposes and of acceptable quality.

“If consumers feel that this is not the case, they should first contact the retailer where they bought the product to seek a remedy for the problem,” he said. “This might involve a refund or replacement, depending on the circumstances.”

Consumer NZ head of communications Gemma Rasmussen said that from a health and safety perspective, shoppers should contact the retailer they bought a product from to alert them to what could be a wider problem.

The expectation was that the supermarket would then reach out to the supplier, she said.

The situation wasn’t ideal, Rasmussen said.

“You really want to be able to place trust in the manufacturer and that they have robust health and safety processes.”

San Remo has been contacted for comment.