PHF Science

13/06/2026

🌿 As World Food Safety Week comes to a close, we're highlighting research that explores the connections between food production, sustainability, and science.

Imagine if we had a readily available, sustainable and cost-effective way of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions? Sounds like a dream solution, right? On the surface, maybe. Our Food Safety scientists dove into the research to find out for sure.

Around the world, seaweed is used for a variety of purposes, from sushi to cosmetics to experimental bioplastics. But seaweed’s amazing uses don’t stop there. Recent research suggests it may also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s to do with its ability to reduce how much livestock belch.

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

13/06/2026

🔬 Meet the people behind food safety in Aotearoa.

PHF Science's Lucia Rivas has built a career at the intersection of microbiology, genomics, and public health, turning complex science into practical solutions that help reduce foodborne disease.

One of Lucia's key research areas is yersiniosis, one of New Zealand's most common bacterial gastrointestinal diseases. Working with colleagues and collaborators, she has helped identify important food sources and transmission pathways, providing the evidence needed for targeted food safety interventions.

This World Food Safety Week, we're celebrating scientists like Lucia, whose expertise, innovation and collaboration are helping make food safer for New Zealanders while contributing to food safety knowledge around the world.

12/06/2026

🔬 Meet the people behind food safety in Aotearoa.

For nearly 30 years, Peter has been helping protect public health through his expertise in risk assessment. His work has provided the scientific evidence used by government agencies to make informed decisions about food safety, consumer products, and environmental hazards.

From assessing chemical and microbiological risks in food to monitoring foodborne disease and identifying emerging threats, Peter's research has helped shape New Zealand's food safety priorities and responses. His contributions have also been recognised internationally through his work with the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

11/06/2026

🌊 A swim at the beach. Fresh kaimoana. A classic Kiwi summer. 🦪

But hidden beneath the surface are naturally occurring bacteria called Vibrio, which can sometimes make people seriously unwell.

PHF Science researchers have taken a closer look at Vibrio infections in Aotearoa, analysing national surveillance, hospital and laboratory data from 1998–2024. Their findings suggest that Vibrio illness in New Zealand involves a wider range of species than current reporting systems capture, including some infections that can lead to hospitalisation and, in rare cases, death.

While some Vibrio infections are linked to eating raw or undercooked seafood, others can occur when seawater enters a cut or causes an ear infection.

Understanding the true burden of Vibrio disease is an important step towards improving public health surveillance and helping New Zealanders enjoy our waters and seafood safely.

🔬 Read more about how PHF Science is uncovering the hidden picture of Vibrio infections in Aotearoa.

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

11/06/2026

For World Food Safety Week, we're celebrating the expertise of PHF Science's food safety specialists and the impact their work has on protecting public health.

One of those experts is Nikki King, whose ability to transform vast amounts of complex data into clear, actionable evidence has helped shape food safety policy in New Zealand for more than two decades.
Early in her career, Nikki led the development of the landmark Review of Non-Commercial Wild Food in New Zealand (2005), a comprehensive publication that remains an important reference on the food safety risks associated with wild foods.

She later applied her expertise to producing food safety risk profiles for the Ministry for Primary Industries, bringing together scientific evidence on issues such as Salmonella in poultry to support regulatory decision-making. Her work reviewing microbial pathogens in raw milk helped provide the evidence base for new food safety regulations.

This World Food Safety Week, we recognise Nikki and all our food safety experts whose science, analysis and evidence-based advice help make food safer for everyone.

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

10/06/2026

When cooler weather arrives in Aotearoa, kai becomes one of our favourite comfort blankets. Cooking dinner for a hungry whānau is a small reminder of how much trust we place in our food.

During Food Safety Week, PHF Science is taking a closer look at one of the foodborne threats we watch closely: STEC. It is not something most people want to think about at the dinner table but understanding it helps keep people safe. STEC is short for Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli. It is a mouthful of a name for a foodborne pathogen that can mean a long miserable week with stomach cramps and diarrhoea, sometimes bloody, but can also lead to severe disease and kidney failure, especially for young mokopuna.

Learn more about the science of STEC and how to keep food safe.

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

10/06/2026

As COVID-19 emerged globally PHF Science rapidly brought together lab capability and health intelligence to support Aotearoa’s public health response.

We were the first organisation in Aotearoa to sequence SARS‑CoV‑2, delivering rapid sequencing results to track transmission and variants in near real-time.

Our scientists expanded wastewater surveillance and built the National COVID Data Repository to centralise results for decision making and reporting.

This story sits within science working for New Zealand - 100 years and counting 💙

You can read more on our website: https://www.phfscience.nz/news-publications/the-science-that-powered-new-zealand-s-pandemic-success/

09/06/2026

World Food Safety Week is a chance to celebrate the science that helps keep our food supply safe and strengthens our understanding of the microorganisms that can affect human health. Through sustained laboratory research and international collaboration, scientists at PHF Science, working alongside colleagues at Queensland Health, identified and formally described a new bacterial species: Yersinia fenwicki.

The organism has been isolated from human cases of acute gastroenteritis in both New Zealand and Australia. Published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, the research adds to the growing body of knowledge about bacteria that may be associated with gastrointestinal illness.

Accurately identifying and characterising emerging pathogens is an important part of food safety science. This work helps improve laboratory detection methods, supports public health surveillance, and strengthens our ability to understand and respond to potential foodborne threats.

This World Food Safety Week, we're proud to recognise the contribution of our scientists and research partners who continue to advance the evidence base that underpins safer food and healthier communities.

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

09/06/2026

As we mark World Food Safety Week, it’s worth looking back at a moment that helped shape how we understand foodborne disease in New Zealand. In 1993, PHF Science microbiologist Jackie Wright, working with collaborators Dianne Fraser and Michael Baker, reported the first case of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the country. At the time, it was a single case report, but it marked an important step in recognising a new and serious foodborne pathogen.

That early work contributed to the growing understanding of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) in New Zealand, helping to strengthen surveillance, diagnostics, and food safety responses over time.

Today, PHF Science continues to build on this legacy, using evidence, research, and collaboration to support safer food systems and protect public health. Learn more about Jackie Wright's important work on STEC:

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

09/06/2026

During World Food Safety Week, we’re highlighting the science and systems that help keep food safe from farm to fork. Inside meat processing plants, strong hygiene practices play a critical role in ensuring that carcasses and co-products carry minimal bacterial contamination after de-hiding and evisceration. From there, speed matters: rapid cooling is essential to prevent any remaining bacteria from multiplying to levels that could impact either food safety or product quality.

To manage and verify this risk, the meat industry in New Zealand uses the Process Hygiene Index (PHI). This science-based model assesses the potential for bacterial growth during chilling. Temperature data is continuously captured using electronic loggers throughout the cooling process, and then analysed through PHI to confirm that cooling profiles meet strict performance criteria designed to minimise bacterial growth.

It’s a practical example of how data, monitoring, and hygiene practices work together to support safe food every day. Learn more about how PHF Science collaborated with partners to update the Process Hygiene Index.

The New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) was formerly named The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).