Recall
of Fonterra products ordered in China
The
Chinese government has ordered the recall of milk products supplied
by Fonterra.
Radio
New Zealand,
4
August, 2013
Fonterra
said on Friday three batches of whey protein have been contaminated
and eight companies operating within New Zealand, have been told of
the risks of customers developing botulism, a paralytic illness.
In
a statement, the Chinese quality agency said it had contacted the New
Zealand Embassy to urge the New Zealand Government to take action in
a timely manner.
It
also told agencies throughout China to strengthen inspection over
milk products from New Zealand.
Both
Fonterra and the Ministry for Primary Industries are investigating
the matter urgently.
Trade
Minister Tim Groser said on Sunday that New Zealand is working
closely with its trading partners to keep them informed of the
potential contamination of some dairy products.
Mr
Groser told the Q+A programme on Television NZ that the markets to
which contaminated whey protein concentrate have been exported are:
Australia, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Mr
Groser said New Zealand has notified Infosan, the World Health Organisation's international food safety regulators network.
Fonterra
says three batches of whey protein were contaminated with a bacterium
last year.
Nutricia
Karicare, an infant formula, should not be consumed because it can
cause botulism, a paralytic illness.
Fonterra
says other products could be affected but is not saying which ones.
Ordinary dairy supplies such as milk and yoghurt are safe.
But
the Ministry for Primary Industries said it has been told
contaminated whey could have been used in beverages and yoghurt, and
it is seeking more information.
Export
markets, including China, could have been affected and Fonterra has
sent chief executive Theo Spierings there to deal with the problem.
Overseas
governments have also been informed.
The
contamination happened last year, but MPI acting director-general
Scott Gallagher was not told till Friday.
AAP
reports about 38 tonnes of whey protein concentrate manufactured at
Fonterra's Hautapu plant in Waikato were contaminated by an
unsanitary pipe in May 2012.
Fonterra
executive Gary Romano said he did not know until March this year. He
said proof the bacteria was virulent came through only at the end of
last month.
Mr
Romano said the contamination could have been harmless and it was
important to conduct tests to see if that was the case.
Domestic
recall
The
maker of Karicare, an infant formula, has recalled two products from
the New Zealand market.
A
statement on Nutricia's website said safety for customers is its
primary concern.
The
products being recalled are Karicare Infant Formula Stage One and
Karicare Gold plus Follow On Formula Stage Two.
Only
the products in New Zealand are being recalled.
Botulism
scare big news in China
Fears
that New Zealand milk products could contain bacterium that may cause
botulism is big news in China, the story featuring prominently in the
country's major newspapers.
4
November, 2013
The
government's quality watchdog has also called for importers who
purchased dairy products from Fonterra to immediately initiate
recalls.
The
General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine (AQSIQ) demanded the New Zealand side to act immediately
to prevent the tainted products from harming the health of Chinese
consumers, the China Daily reported.
AQSIQ
further told quality agencies nationwide to "strengthen
inspection over milk products from New Zealand".
The
Shanghai Daily, the Voice of China, Nongmin Ribao (the Farmers'
Daily), Xinhua, and the People's Daily all featured stories
prominently today.
Authorities
have recalled up to 1000 tonnes of dairy products across New Zealand
and seven other countries after Fonterra announced tests had found a
bacterium that could cause botulism.
The
Ministry of Primary Industries said yesterday the tainted products
included infant formula, sports drinks, protein drinks and other
beverages. Countries affected beside New Zealand included China,
Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.
The
botulism bacteria scare is likely to cause "sheer, absolute
panic" in China as the news filters through the world's second
biggest economy, says a Kiwi involved in the dairy trade.
Gregg
Wycherley, managing director of Auckland baby milk brand Fresco
Nutrition, said he anticipates "wholesale removal of New Zealand
infant formula off Chinese supermarket shelves" by tomorrow
morning.
"News
of the contamination will just go viral in the Chinese social media,"
he said.
Weibo,
a Chinese social networking website similar to Twitter, was starting
to buzz with talk of the potential contamination last night.
Many
users were pointing out Fonterra's links to Sanlu, one of the
companies responsible for China's 2008 melamine scandal, in which at
least six babies died and thousands more became sick after consuming
dairy products.
Fonterra
yesterday announced three batches of a whey protein called WPC80,
manufactured in May last year, may have been contaminated by a dirty
pipe at the company's Hautapu plant, in the Waikato.
The
dairy co-operative said eight of its customers, most of whom have
still not been named, may have used the affected batches in a range
of products including infant formula and sports drinks.
The
Centres for Disease Control describes botulism as a rare but
sometimes fatal paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin.
Infant
formula manufacturer Nutricia has instigated a precautionary recall
in New zealand of its Karicare Infant Formula Stage 1 (0 - 6 months)
in New Zealand only with batch numbers 3169 and 3170 (use by
17.06.2016 and 18.06. 2016).
It
has also recalled its Karicare Gold+ Follow On Formula Stage 2 (6-12
months) in New Zealand only with batch number D3183 (use by
31.12.2014).
"Nutricia's
quality and food safety management system includes rigorous testing
procedures of our finished products," the company said in a
statement.
"None
of the products tested and sold in New Zealand indicate any
contamination. However, given the new information supplied by
Fonterra, we have taken the decision to make a precautionary recall
on specific products."
New
Zealand's reputation for high-quality food products - the driving
force behind some $2 billion in annual dairy exports to China - also
took a hit in January when traces of dicyandiamide, a nitrate
inhibitor, were found in New Zealand milk.
Fonterra
chief executive Theo Spierings was flying from Europe to China
yesterday.
China's
import authority yesterday ordered an immediate recall of any
products containing the affected batches of Fonterra WPC80, the
state-run news agency Xinhua said.
Simon
Page, managing director of infant formula exporter BioPure Health,
said it was a bad look for Fonterra and New Zealand to have two
contamination scares in less than eight months.
"Something's
not right," he said.
Fonterra
at the centre of formula fury
Furious
parents, exporters and officials are questioning why it took dairy
giant Fonterra more than a year to identify and warn of a deadly
bacteria possibly contaminating baby formula here and overseas
2
August, 2013
.
Trade
Minister Tim Groser is promising a thorough investigation into the
latest milk-contamination scare after Fonterra early yesterday
announced that tests of its whey protein concentrate had returned
positive for a bacteria that could cause botulism, a fatal form of
food poisoning.
The
scandal erupted when Fonterra made public that three batches of
product made at its Hautapu, Waikato, manufacturing facility in May
2012 were contaminated due to a dirty pipe.
Fonterra
did not become aware of a problem until March, but it was not until
Wednesday that tests confirmed the presence of the rare bacteria
Clostridium botulinum. It could cause botulism, which could lead to
paralysis and rapid death. The Government was told on Friday
afternoon.
Groser
and the Ministry of Primary Industries were unhappy with the delay in
the information becoming public. The ministry said it "should
have been notified sooner and we are discussing this with Fonterra".
The
scare involved 40 tonnes of tainted concentrated whey used to make
900 tonnes of food including infant formula, yoghurt, sports and
protein drinks across seven countries.
Only
Nutricia Karicare ''follow on'' formula products for infants older
than six months were thought to be affected in New Zealand.
Those
batches have already been isolated to a warehouse in Auckland, a ship
and storage in Australia.
While
none of the suspect product was believed to have reached New Zealand
shelves, the acting director general of the Ministry of Primary
Industries, Scott Gallacher, was advising parents not to use any of
the affected type of formula as a precaution.
Fonterra
had announced the contamination scare early yesterday, but then
refused to name the actual tainted products. It wasn't until late
yesterday afternoon that MPI told New Zealand parents which brand was
affected.
Mothers
were furious at the lack of information. One said she rang an 0800
Careline of the manufacturer of the formula she used, finding only an
automated message telling her to ring back on Monday.
"I
bet I'm not the only mum a tad worried that I'm feeding my baby 'bad'
formula."
Another
wrote on Facebook: "If people know what it is then they can get
rid of it before they use it, how dumb putting out warnings and
people have to guess what product is affected. Putting lives at risk
keeping this a secret."
INTERNATIONAL
REACTION
Overseas
markets reacted swiftly to Fonterra's announcement with UK media
website International Business Times reporting China's quality
watchdog had asked the country's importers to recall all milk
products supplied by the New Zealand dairy giant.
In
a statement, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine said officials had been asked to reinforce
testing methods for milk products from New Zealand.
The
national quality agency ordered an instant recall of all milk-powder
products from New Zealand, saying it attached ''great importance'' to
the issue.
Meanwhile,
across the Tasman, the Australian Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry said it had been alerted to a possible
contamination of whey protein concentrate and was working with New
Zealand authorities to identify any food risks to consumers.
The
New York Times reported the botulism scare could affect consumers in
China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia.
The
Times said there was huge demand for New Zealand infant formula in
China because of quality concerns about domestic formula.
ANGER
AT HOME
New
Zealand exporters said Fonterra's crisis was affecting them all and
damaging the country's reputation for food safety around the world.
Fonterra,
our largest company and the world's largest dairy processor, exports
a third of New Zealand's milk powder to China, and chief executive
Theo Spierings was yesterday on his way there in an attempt at damage
control.
This
was the third infant formula shock for Fonterra in China in six
years, aggravating tensions with a key trading partner increasingly
tetchy over what it said were lax food standards here.
But
exporters were blaming Fonterra's poor communications for further
damaging New Zealand's reputation.
Gallacher
said there were "lots of questions" being asked of Fonterra
over the timelines and the way the issue was communicated.
Fonterra
had assured MPI that only five batches of Nutricia Karicare possibly
containing contaminated product were on sale anywhere, but officials
were physically double-checking that the statements were correct.
Groser
said this was a "precautionary" stance and did not reflect
a lack of trust in the company.
The
issue reminded him of the melamine milk scandal in 2008, when six
Chinese infants were killed by products produced by a company
part-owned by Fonterra, when he was unable to answer questions as the
situation unfolded.
The
Government was focused solely on establishing the scale of the
problem and communicating accurate information to affected countries,
but he promised a full investigation.
He
refused to speculate on whether any tainted food was likely to have
already been consumed, but said it was a case of assuming the worst
"and working backwards".
Groser
said China had done "exactly the right thing", and New
Zealand would do the same if the positions were reversed.
Labour's
primary industries spokesman, Damien O'Connor, said: "It is
brand New Zealand that is at stake here. Fonterra is our biggest
company. New Zealanders have to be confident that they can do the
right thing every time one of these incidents occur."
Gallacher
said MPI wanted to know why it took 14 months for the issue to come
to light.
Infant
formula exporters are "frustrated" with Fonterra's
response.
Chris
Claridge, chief administrative officer of the New Zealand Infant
Formula Exporters Association, said none of its members' products
were affected, but they would now be in damage control.
"China
is a major market. And this is a recurring situation with infant
formula in the media. It instantly makes front-page news.
Claridge
said the incident would damage New Zealand's reputation, at least in
the short term.
He
said the time lapse was "not acceptable".
"That's
what makes us more nervous. The delay in notification, while babies
have possibly been consuming this product."
Steve
Flint, associate professor in food microbiology at Massey
University's Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, said
Clostridium botulinum was rare in this country and difficult to
isolate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-SASe-ZOuI
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.