Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against rights of property - Arson, damage, and waste

298B: Contaminating food, crops, water, or other products

You could also call this:

“Making food, water, or other things people use unsafe on purpose or without being careful”

You can go to prison for up to 10 years if you contaminate food, crops, water, or other products. This applies if you do it without a good reason, and you know or don’t care that people might eat or drink these things. You can be punished if you:

  • Want to hurt someone or don’t care if someone gets hurt
  • Want to cause big money problems for someone or don’t care if you cause them
  • Want to cause big damage to New Zealand’s economy or don’t care if you cause it

Remember, it’s against the law to do these things, even if you’re not sure what might happen. The law wants to protect people, businesses, and the country from harm caused by contamination.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM330768.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal law
Health and wellbeing > Food and water safety
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298A: Causing disease or sickness in animals, or

“It's against the law to make animals sick on purpose or by being careless, especially if it hurts lots of animals or New Zealand's money.”

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299: Wilful waste or diversion of water, gas, or electricity, or

“This law used to say it was wrong to waste or change where water, gas, or electricity goes on purpose, but it's not a rule anymore.”

Part 10 Crimes against rights of property
Arson, damage, and waste

298BContaminating food, crops, water, or other products

  1. Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years who contaminates food, crops, water, or any other products, without lawful justification or reasonable excuse, and either knowing or being reckless as to whether the food, crops, water, or products are intended for human consumption, and—

  2. intending to harm a person or reckless as to whether any person is harmed; or
    1. intending to cause major economic loss to a person or reckless as to whether major economic loss is caused to any person; or
      1. intending to cause major damage to the national economy of New Zealand or reckless as to whether major damage is caused to the national economy of New Zealand.

        Notes
        • Section 298B: inserted, on , by section 5 of the Crimes Amendment Act (No 2) 2003 (2003 No 105).