Food Safety First: Clarifying the Findings and Our Commitment

We appreciate the prompt and professional work undertaken by New Zealand Food Safety. Their visit to our Christchurch kitchen and to Haeata Community Campus has provided helpful clarity about what occurred. Their investigation indicates that the most likely cause of this incident was meals from last week being inadvertently distributed by the school on Monday. While the investigation continues, this finding aligns with our internal checks and with what our teams observed on the day.

Across the country, our people start work before dawn, manage significant complexity, and follow rigorous processes to ensure every meal is safe, nutritious and ready for tamariki. They work hard and put enormous care into what they do. The events of the past 24 hours have been upsetting for many of them. When inaccurate assumptions or conclusions are drawn publicly, it has a real impact on the people who do the mahi to provide nourishing meals to our tamarki who need them.

Nothing is more important to us than food safety and meal quality. We welcome every opportunity to demonstrate the systems we follow –  including temperature controls, visual checks, and strict handling procedures – for every meal delivered across New Zealand.

Yesterday more than 73,000 lunches of the same recipe were served nationwide, with no concerns raised by any other school.

We remain committed to working constructively with all our school partners. When issues arise, we approach them with respect, transparency, and a focus on evidence so that we can understand what has happened and help ensure it does not happen elsewhere. That focus on partnership and facts is what keeps this programme strong.

With nearly 20 million school lunch meals served in 2025 to tamariki across 425 schools, we are proud of the role we play, alongside many dedicated suppliers in Aotearoa New Zealand, in ensuring children receive the nourishment to support their learning. Our priority now is to support our staff, continue delivering safe, high-quality meals, and ensure families and schools can have confidence in the service we provide. We stand firmly behind the integrity of our processes and the people who deliver this mahi with pride every day.