Kiwis are frying up possum as meat prices soar in the cost of living crisis, but food safety experts warn it could contain bacteria, TB or poison.

Owen Robertson, who served the family a Matariki feast of possum butter ‘chicken’ for just a few cents per head, says possums are an untapped food source in the country, while meat prices have increased by 12 per cent in a year.

“I’d rather eat possum than meat from the supermarket, because of cost, but also because it’s way tastier than processed food,” says Owen, who hunts his own possum.

“People’s negative image of possum is because they mostly see them dead on a road, which mightn’t make you feel like (possum) mince that night.”

However, NZ Food Safety deputy-director general Vincent Arbuckle says there are safety risks in any hunted animal, including possums.

“These can include bacterial contamination from external wounds on the animal or puncturing the gut while field dressing. There is also the risk of chemical contamination if the animal has eaten poison bait.”

Possums were a vector for tuberculosis in New Zealand, a virus that can also be carried by other animals such as cows.

“Even possums that appear healthy can be infected, and the infection cannot always be identified visually.”

Senior scientist at Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Peter Cressey, says care should be taken as to where possums are harvested and how they are handled.

“In some areas the prevalence of TB in possums may be low, but this is likely to be highly variable.”

Safety tips for cooking possum

While it’s legal to hunt wild game such as possum for personal consumption, New Zealand Food Safety advise people to follow guidelines for hunters.

Chief scientist for the New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre, Phil Bremer, says hunted meat is riskier to eat because it's not regulated in the same way as meat bought from a butcher or supermarket.

“If you hunt, it's your responsibility to make sure the meat from the game animal is safe to eat.”

Cooking the meat to an internal temperature greater than 72C for at least two minutes will kill the bacteria, but caution should be taken when handling raw meat, he says.

“It is not wise to eat road kill as bacteria can rapidly increase in numbers in dead animals and produce toxins which are not destroyed even if the meat is well cooked.”

“Crackling with fennel”

When possum was suggested as “free meat when people are struggling to buy groceries” in a money saving group, one woman said she’d rather starve, but others said it's “good tucker”.

People piled in with recipes, including roasted possum with sugar and orange, slow cooking in a herb casserole with lemon juice, or braised with garlic and spices.

Owen chooses to slow cook, roast or hot smoke the meat with barbecue sauce.

“The back legs are really meaty, so it’s filling as opposed to some meat which you’d go hungry on.”

Possum is a regular on the barbecue at Bay of Plenty man Shay Williamson’s house, a hunting expert who’s spent 10 years trapping possums. It’s not only saving money but is the family’s favourite meat, even the tail.

“We leave the skin on for a delicious crackling with fennel.”

He’s even made a video on how he turns roadkill into a gourmet meal, but cautions amateurs not to do this unless they know how to examine possums for freshness and health.

There’s always your pets

Katikati’s Zach Howarth says he's not surprised people are considering eating possum, given the price of meat.

Zach started selling possums as pet food in 2016. He now uses 240,000 possums a year, sourced by 200 hunters around the country.

The possums are free from antibiotics, drenches, hormones or grain feed, are humanely killed and health checked, he says.

-Annemarie Quill/Stuff.