Following the serious fire at New World Victoria Park earlier this week, Foodstuffs North Island has confirmed that all food and stock inside the store will be removed and disposed of, following expert advice, for health and safety reasons.
The intensity of the fire, huge volume of water, along with the spread of smoke, heat and potential chemical exposure inside the store, unfortunately means no products can be safely salvaged.
Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin said the fire created conditions where no item in the store can be assumed to be safe to consume or use.
“The fire was extensive, and conditions inside the store during the blaze were highly variable,” said Quin. “Some stock – particularly those stored higher up or near flammable items like fly sprays – were visibly fire-damaged, but even food stored lower down has been exposed to heat, smoke, water and potentially harmful contaminants.
“Safety is absolutely our top priority. For that reason, everything in the store will be removed and disposed of as soon as it is safe for our teams to do so. Nothing is safely able to be repurposed or donated for consumption. We have taken advice on this to see if there was any possibility but it’s just not safe.
“We will determine whether any materials can be safely recycled after a rigorous safety assessment.”
The wellbeing of the 189 team members at New World Victoria Park remains a key focus for the co-operative, with a dedicated programme in place to support team members through what has been a distressing time.
“We’ve been regularly checking in with our team and will continue to do so,” said Quin. “Every team member will continue to receive weekly pay, and we’re working on redeployment options at nearby Foodstuffs stores while we look at the next steps for the site.
“We’ve made people and resources available to support the wellbeing of our team during this tough time, whether that’s someone to talk to, helpful tools, or advice on looking after themselves. These team members are at the heart of our store, and we’re committed to being there for them every step of the way.”
Further updates on the plan for the New World Victoria site will be provided in the coming weeks. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.
