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Food Act 2014

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

226: Offences involving documents or information

You could also call this:

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

Illustration for Food Act 2014

You commit an offence if you give a food safety officer false or misleading information. This includes providing documents or information that are not true or are misleading in an important way. You also commit an offence if you do not provide information when you are required to do so under the Food Act 2014.

If you alter, conceal, or destroy a document or information when you are not supposed to, you commit an offence. The Food Act 2014 says what information you must provide to a food safety officer. You must follow these rules.

If someone takes you to court for committing an offence, they do not need to prove that you meant to do it. You can look at Section 251 to see if you have a defence against the offence. If you are found guilty, you can get a fine.

For a company, the fine can be up to $250,000. For an individual, the fine can be up to $50,000.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM2996341.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Food and water safetyBusiness > Industry rulesCrime and justice > Criminal law
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225: Offences involving intentionally defeating purpose of Act or deceiving in relation to documents or information, or

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

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227: Offences involving intentionally defeating purpose of Act or deceiving in relation to identifying or representing food, or

"Breaking the law by lying about food or changing it to deceive people"

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

226Offences involving documents or information

  1. A person commits an offence if the person—

  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. In a prosecution for an offence against this section, it is not necessary to prove that the defendant intended to commit the offence.

          2. Section 251 contains defences to a prosecution for an offence against this section.

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

          4. for a body corporate, to a fine not exceeding $250,000:
            1. for an individual, to a fine not exceeding $50,000.