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Food Act 2014

Provisions relating to recognition, territorial authorities, administration, and enforcement - Offences - Offences

225: Offences involving intentionally defeating purpose of Act or deceiving in relation to documents or information

You could also call this:

"Breaking the Food Act: Lying or Hiding Information from Food Safety Officers"

Illustration for Food Act 2014

If you try to deceive a food safety officer or someone doing a job under the Food Act 2014, you can get in trouble. You might do this by giving them false or misleading information, or by not giving them information when you are supposed to. You can also get in trouble if you alter, conceal, or destroy documents or information when you are not supposed to.

If you do any of these things on purpose to get a benefit or avoid something bad, you can commit an offence. This means you might have to pay a fine or even go to prison if you are found guilty.

A company can be fined up to $500,000 if they do something wrong, and an individual can be fined up to $100,000 or imprisoned for up to 5 years.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM2996340.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Food and water safetyCrime and justice > Criminal lawBusiness > Industry rules
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224: Offence involving negligently endangering, harming, creating risk, or increasing risk, or

"Hurting people's health by breaking food safety rules on purpose or by being careless can get you in trouble."

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226: Offences involving documents or information, or

"Lying or hiding information from food safety officers is against the law"

Part 4Provisions relating to recognition, territorial authorities, administration, and enforcement
Offences: Offences

225Offences involving intentionally defeating purpose of Act or deceiving in relation to documents or information

  1. A person commits an offence if the person, with intent to deceive and for the purpose of obtaining any material benefit or avoiding any material detriment,—

  2. provides a document or information to a food safety officer or a person performing a function or duty, or exercising a power, under this Act that—
    1. an applicable requirement of this Act requires to be provided to the officer or person; and
      1. is false or misleading in a material detail; or
      2. fails to provide a document or information to a food safety officer or a person performing a function or duty, or exercising a power, under this Act, contrary to an applicable requirement of this Act; or
        1. alters, conceals, or destroys a document or information, contrary to an applicable requirement of this Act.

          1. A person who commits an offence against this section is liable on conviction,—

          2. for a body corporate, to a fine not exceeding $500,000:
            1. for an individual, to—
              1. imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years; and
                1. a fine not exceeding $100,000.