Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy must seek urgent answers from his Ministry over its handling of imported frozen berries linked to a Hepatitis A outbreak, says Labour's Primary Industries spokesperson Damien O'Connor.

'The Ministry for Primary Industries must publicly name the affected products and recall them.

'It is not good enough to just warn people to boil the berries before eating them. Thousands of people every day around the country are drinking smoothies full of berries.

'Hepatitis A is particularly dangerous for the elderly and those with chronic liver damage.

'Australian officials recalled important frozen berries there in February. Nathan Guy must explain why – when there is a joint Australasian approach to food safety – the same wasn't done here.

'This latest scare is yet again proof that Labour is right to call for the return of a stand-alone food safety agency,” Damien O'Connor says.

Source: Office of Damien O'Connor.