A mouse infestation found last month on board Zespri ships bound for Europe has secured a costly price tag.
After inspecting 2600 pallets (54%) of kiwifruit on board a cargo ship transporting SunGold in Zeebrugge, Belgium, Zespri made the decision to dispose of all fruit.
The total value of the fruit plus costs associated with reprocessing and disposal is estimated to be about $34 million (30 cents per tray).
“It’s become clear that we can’t fully mitigate the potential food safety and reputational risk to the brand with enough certainty to release any fruit,” Zespri chief operating officer Jason Te Brake said.
“We’re continuing our extensive engagement with our insurance and shipping partners. The value of recovery will not be known until the claims process is complete – a process which will take some time.”
Te Brake previously told the industry it was the first time in 20 years the issue had occurred and there had been no other issues with vessel arrivals.