Food Safety New Zealand is warning people about the unauthorized sale of cheese headed for landfill.
The cheese appears to have been removed from Putaruru landfill before being discovered on sale in Waikato. It is possible that sales of cheeses also occurred in other regions. The cheese was scrapped after Over The Moon deemed it unfit for sale.
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority said it was not aware of any illnesses associated with it.
The affected cheeses are Over The Moon brand and include products with lot numbers 11/18/25, 11/25/25 and 11/26/25.
Cheeses: Camembert, OMG, Black Truffle Brie, Galaxy Gold, Halloumi, Gee's Spread (Black Truffle and Garlic Chilli), Smoked Chilli Camembert, Goat Camembert and Double Delight.
“We have serious concerns about the safety of this product as the company decided it was unfit for sale and rightly disposed of it,” said Vincent Arbuckle, deputy general manager of food safety New Zealand.
“Additionally, consuming cheese that has been in landfill for some time and outside the food supply chain carries an obvious food safety risk of contamination. The cheese cannot be eaten because it has not been subject to the necessary food safety controls and we do not know how it was stored, transported or processed.”
“If you are offered Over the Moon cheese from an unregistered business or the transaction does not appear to be legitimate, it is best to exercise caution. Selling abandoned cheese is illegal and poses a food safety risk to public health.”
Over the Moon has reported the issue to New Zealand's food safety department and is keeping customers informed. The company's cheese is legally sold through various retail outlets.
In a statement, the company said it believed some shipments were being sold in South Waikato on the black market at below retail prices.
“These consignments on the black market are sold by private individuals, none of them were
distributed or sold through our own factory, store or authorized retailers. Anyone who purchased these shipments from an unauthorized seller should not consume them and dispose of them immediately.”
