Stock photo. an Auckland bakery has stopped selling a popular pie.
Photo: 123rf
Auckland Council halted sales of a popular pie at a local bakery after discovering the horse meat used in the filling wasn’t sourced from a registered supplier. The Pakuranga Bakery had been selling lo’i hoosi pies – a traditional Tongan dish – since before Christmas, but stopped after a complaint prompted an inspection.
- Pakuranga Bakery began selling lo’i hoosi pies-a traditional Tongan dish featuring horse meat-before Christmas.
- Auckland Council received a complaint and found the horse meat wasn’t from an approved supplier.
- While eating horse meat is legal in New Zealand, selling it requires adherence to strict food safety regulations.
- New Zealand Food Safety is investigating the source of the unapproved horse meat.
Before Christmas, Pakuranga Bakery began offering lo’i hoosi pies, enthusiastically promoting them on their Instagram page. The pies quickly gained a devoted following, with customers praising their unique flavor on social media.
Lo’i hoosi is a cherished traditional dish in Tonga, with horse meat serving as its primary ingredient. The bakery’s attempt to bring this cultural delicacy to Auckland proved popular, but ultimately ran afoul of local regulations.
When contacted last week, Pakuranga Bakery confirmed they had stopped selling the pies. Veronica Lee-Thompson, Auckland Council manager of specialist operations, licensing and environmental health, explained the reason. “There where horse meat pies that were being sold and the horse meat was not from a registered supplier,” she said.
Lee-Thompson added that the bakery cooperated fully, agreeing to dispose of all the suspect horse meat and any pies containing it. “But the operator was very cooperative and agreed to dispose of all the horse meat on site and any pies that contained any horse meat.”
Pho Bok, manager at Pakuranga Bakery, explained they hadn’t prepared the filling themselves. “We just bought the filing, because I just saw everyone do it and all the customers have been asking for it. We don’t know how to make it. We just went to buy the filing from a Tongan guy.He just prepared it for us and we just chucked it in a pie.”
Food Safety Regulations and Approved Suppliers
Eating horse meat is perfectly legal in New Zealand, but selling it for public consumption requires strict adherence to New Zealand food safety regulations.According to the Ministry of Primary Industries, only one meat processor in the country is currently registered to slaughter and process horse meat for human consumption.
Lee-Thompson emphasized the potential risks of consuming unapproved meat. “Illegal meat could contain bacteria because the animals were sick or perhaps diseased, risk of cross-contamination if there’s unhygienic conditions during the processing, they might not be handling things correctly,” she said. “it could be contaminated by chemicals.We just want to make sure it’s approved meat that’s in our food chain.”
Auckland council confirmed that no reports of illness have been linked to the bakery’s pies. Though, the incident highlights the importance of sourcing ingredients from approved suppliers.
Bok stated he believed the horse meat he purchased was legitimately sourced. “I did ask them are they a registered business – they said yes. is the horse meat legal to eat, and they said yes.”
Pakuranga Bakery is not currently under investigation,but New Zealand Food Safety is actively investigating the origin of the unapproved horse meat. Anyone knowingly selling meat unfit for human consumption could face a fine of up to $100,000 or a prison sentence of up to one year.
