Minors Identified as Top Threatening Offenders in Foodstuffs South Island Stores Amidst Facial Recognition Trial

Introduction to the Trial and Key Findings

A facial recognition technology (FRT) trial currently underway in select Foodstuffs South Island stores in New Zealand has brought to light a significant statistic regarding retail crime. A report associated with the trial's Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) indicated that six out of ten of the top offenders threatening supermarket staff across the Foodstuffs South Island network are individuals under the age of 18. This finding emerges as the cooperative implements FRT to combat escalating levels of serious threatening behaviour by repeat offenders.

Foodstuffs South Island's Facial Recognition Initiative

The three-month trial commenced in October 2025 across three Christchurch Pak'nSave supermarkets: Pak'nSave Papanui, Pak'nSave Moorhouse, and New World St Martins. The primary objective of the trial is to assess whether FRT can effectively identify adult repeat offenders involved in serious incidents, thereby enabling staff to intervene early and prevent further harm. Foodstuffs South Island has emphasized that strict privacy safeguards are in place, including the explicit exclusion of minors and vulnerable individuals from the FRT watchlist. Images of individuals not on the watchlist are immediately deleted, and any potential matches are manually verified by two trained staff members before action is taken.

The Nature of Threats and Offender Demographics

The report's revelation that a majority of top offenders are minors highlights a complex challenge for retailers. Foodstuffs South Island justified the implementation of FRT by citing an 'escalating level of serious threatening behaviours by repeat offenders' that poses a significant risk to the health and safety of staff and customers. While the FRT system itself is designed to target adult offenders, the underlying data from the broader Foodstuffs South Island network underscores the prevalence of young people in incidents involving threats to staff. The company has stated that excluding minors from the FRT watchlist does not diminish the trial's usefulness, as its focus remains on identifying adult repeat offenders.

Broader Context and Privacy Considerations

This South Island trial follows a similar facial recognition initiative by Foodstuffs North Island, which ran from February to September 2024 across 25 supermarkets. The North Island trial scanned over 225 million faces, generating 1742 alerts, with 1208 confirmed matches, and was credited with preventing over 100 serious harm incidents. New Zealand's Privacy Commissioner, Michael Webster, found the North Island trial compliant with the Privacy Act but stressed the need for continuous improvements and robust processes to manage significant privacy risks. Concerns have been raised about potential misidentification, technical bias, and the broader implications of surveillance, particularly for Māori, Pasifika, Indian, and Asian shoppers. Despite these concerns, a number of major New Zealand retailers are adopting FRT to combat retail crime, following the Privacy Commissioner's report.

Conclusion

The Foodstuffs South Island facial recognition trial navigates the dual challenge of enhancing safety for staff and customers while upholding privacy principles. The finding that minors constitute a significant portion of individuals threatening staff across its network adds a layer of complexity to retail security strategies, even as the FRT system is specifically configured to exclude them from its active watchlists. The ongoing trials and their outcomes are expected to inform future decisions on the widespread use of such technology in New Zealand's retail sector.