Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:608;Page:5610] 
12.  
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister for Food Safety 
: Does she have any consumer safety related concerns about the wider dietary supplements industry following the Pan Pharmaceuticals scandal? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister for Food Safety) 
: 
 While there is no evidence to suggest there are safety-related concerns with the New Zealand dietary supplements industry it is an opportunity for the supplements industry and the Government to look at the industry practices and processes in relation to good manufacturing practice in the industry. It certainly puts a focus on safety aspects of the New Zealand industry. 
Judy Turner 
: Can the Minister give an assurance that New Zealand consumers are not subject to the British food supplement industry practice of overages where products contain a higher than declared amount of a particular nutrient at the time of formulation to ensure that sufficient levels of the nutrient are maintained through the products’ shelf-life; if not why not? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No I cannot give the member that assurance. One of the problems we have with dietary supplements in New Zealand is that we do not test them before they come into New Zealand. We do not have the same sort of regulation; therefore it is not certain that what is in the products is what is said to be in the products. However when a product is reported to the Food Safety Authority then a testing is carried out. The member will be aware that in the last year there have been a number of products that it has been claimed contained certain contents but that have been found to have others and they were required to be withdrawn. 
Steve Chadwick 
: What are the lessons to be learnt from the recent recall of Pan Pharmaceuticals products? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: It highlighted the need for annual audits of manufacturing premises and a registration system for dietary supplements in New Zealand. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Why have the lists of Pan Pharmaceuticals products that have been recalled not been published in the majority of provincial newspapers; and how are provincial New Zealanders to access information on those recalled products when a large number do not have access to the Internet? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The Food Safety Authority publishes the lists in all the major dailies. Most places in New Zealand receive a major daily newspaper. We even get the  
New Zealand Herald  
here in Wellington and I am pretty sure that the  
Press 
 goes into Blenheim. So the Food Safety Authority provides the lists in the major newspapers. There is a cost in terms of doing that which is about $500000 at this stage and that does not include the latest notice that has just been put in the papers. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can the Minister confirm that the original scandal triggering the Pan Pharmaceuticals recall related to two over-the-counter pharmaceuticals not to dietary supplements; why therefore have not all pharmaceuticals produced by that company been recalled instead of only dietary supplements? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The member is correct. What started the recall of Pan Pharmaceuticals was the recall of three over-the-counter pharmaceutical medicines. When problems were found with those medicines an audit was then carried out on Pan Pharmaceuticals and the Therapeutic Goods Administration found that that company had substituted ingredients manipulated data to give the impression the products were compliant when they were not fabricated product testing results and had deficient raw materials and finished-product controls in place. So on those and other grounds it was decided to recall Pan Pharmaceutical products and it was done for the safety of the public. 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question specifically asked why the recall had not extended to pharmaceuticals. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Only three pharmaceuticals in New Zealand were made by Pan Pharmaceuticals so only three needed to be withdrawn in New Zealand.