Sunday 4 August 2013

"Clean and Green" no longer - NZ's food scare

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
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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

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