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.
Trade Minister Tim Groser is promising a thorough investigation into the latest milk-contamination scare after Fonterra announced tests of its whey protein concentrate had returned positive for a bacteria that could cause botulism, a fatal form of food poisoning.
Late last night, Fonterra’s said none of its own brands was affected. Of the eight customers who bought the affected whey product, three were food companies, two were beverage companies and three were companies that manufactured animal stock feed. Fonterra said it was ‘‘communicating and providing direct support’’ with its customers but as of last night, no product recalls had been announced.
In other developments yesterday it was revealed:
No tainted formula was believed to be on New Zealand shelves, but Kiwi mums slammed Fonterra for the delay in naming contaminated baby food – leaving them panicking for most of the day.
Only Nutricia Karicare ‘‘follow on’’ formula for infants older than six months was thought to be affected in New Zealand, and the five possible contaminated batches have been isolated to a warehouse in Auckland, a ship and storage in Australia.
China instantly reacted, ordering a recall of all milk- powder products from New Zealand, well beyond those affected by the contaminated whey.
New Zealand exporters say Fonterra’s crisis is affecting them all and damaging the country’s reputation for food safety.
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 involves 40 tonnes of tainted concentrated whey used to make 900 tonnes of food including infant formula, yoghurt, sports and protein drinks in seven countries. In New Zealand, only formula is thought to be affected, and although none of it had reached shop shelves, acting director general of the Ministry of Primary Industries, Scott Gallacher, advised parents not to use any of the affected type of formula.
After announcing the contamination scare Fonterra then refused to name the tainted products. It wasn’t until late yesterday afternoon 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.’’
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 is on his way there in an attempt at damage control. The other countries caught up in the crisis are Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
This is the third infant formula shock for Fonterra in China in six years, aggravating tensions with a key trading partner increasingly tetchy over what it claims are lax food standards here.
The scandal erupted when Fonterra made public that three batches of product made at its Hautapu, Waikato, facility in May 2012 were contaminated by 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 can cause botulism, which can lead to paralysis and rapid death. The Government was told on Friday afternoon. Gallacher said there were ‘‘lots of questions’’ being asked of Fonterra over the timelines and the way the issue was communicated.
Fonterra assured MPI only five batches of Nutricia Karicare possibly containing contaminated product were on sale 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.