Wholesome questions “Our milk is safe,” asserts Fonterra

Lankan consumers ask how safe are imported milk products Health Ministry’s Food Advisory Committee lacking transparency

Many Sri Lankans are questioning the safety of imported milk products amidst concern over New Zealand milk, while a few were unaware about the issues partly due to lack of transparency by State agencies charged with ensuring food safety.

While all reports and information collected by the Sunday Times indicate that there may not be any safety issues with regard to Dicyandiamide (DCD), questions are being raised about the role played by the Food Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Health Ministry mandated under the Food Act to ensure that all food is fit for human consumption.

The FAC did not inform the public even though the Sri Lankan Health Ministry had been categorically told by New Zealand’s New Delhi High Commission about the DCD issue linked to its milk products “early this year,” the Sunday Times understands.

While this high-level health body needs to come up with strong answers in what seems like a failure of duty, it also needs to justify how it did not know about this issue even earlier when across the world there was frenetic reporting over the contamination. An eye on the web last year would have alerted the FAC about the DCD issue.

The FAC is headed by the Health Services Director-General Dr. Palitha Mahipala, while its Secretary is Dr. Ananda Jayalal.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), meanwhile, sent the second stock of NZ milk-powder samples for testing for DCD to an overseas laboratory this week.

Both the CAA and the Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) were vocal in their assurances that tests were being carried out for DCD and radiation, respectively.

“We took samples from five brands of imported milk powder packets off market shelves, on the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and sent them to Singapore to be tested for DCD, as Sri Lanka did not have the capacity for this test,” CAA Chairman Rumy Marzook told the Sunday Times, adding that the report from Singapore found that the samples had levels of DCD ranging from 0.36 to 15.17. It was then that the CAA wrote to the Health Ministry seeking clarification whether the intake of DCD causes harm to human health, if so what those harmful effects would be and whether there is an acceptable tolerance level. The Health Ministry, in turn, submitted these queries to the WHO.

Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Nihal Jayathilake, when contacted by the Sunday Times said he had requested information from the WHO as it had the technical know-how.

The WHO response indicated that there was no problem for human health, said Dr. Jayathilake, adding that he had advised the FAC to follow-up the issue.

The report on the second stock of imported milk-powder samples sent for testing this week is expected in a fortnight, Mr. Marzook said. He declined to state the country to which they were sent except that it was “one of the best labs in the world”.

The tests are being conducted only on imported milk powder and that too only for DCD, according to him.

Fonterra’s Office in NZ detailed the steps it had taken since the DCD issue erupted in September 2012, asserting that hundreds of stringent tests thereafter proved that its milk products are safe. The company said it also supported a NZ Government decision to withdraw DCD products off the shelves in January which meant all milk produced after that is DCD-free.

Sri Lanka’s CAA, meanwhile, said the samples of milk sent for testing to Singapore were from an old stock and that was why samples from the new stock, were sent this week to another lab.

Fonterra has also clearly stated that it had a “…faceto-face” briefing with the Ministry of Health on February 19, 2013. “We have provided regular updates and information since this meeting.”

Here are excerpts of responses from Fonterra to some of the questions emailed by the Sunday Times:

How long has DCD been applied in the pastures of New Zealand?

DCD was used in New Zealand to increase grass growth and reduce nitrate leaching from the soil into rivers and streams. It has been used since 2004 by less than 5 per cent of New Zealand dairy farmers who apply it only twice a year.

Any risks of DCD residues occurring are limited to sixeight weeks immediately after application. There has been no DCD used on New Zealand pasture since September 2012.

When was DCD first discovered in Fonterra dairy products? What were these dairy products?

We found very low levels of residue in a small number of products made in September: whole milk powder, skim milk powder, and buttermilk powder. These were tested through AsureQuality in New Zealand. We informed the New Zealand Government and we have been part of a Government working group dealing with this since November.

When we were notified that CAA were testing our consumer products, we tested a wide range of our Anchor and Ratthi products in Sri Lanka, produced during September to November, as an added assurance and we have not found any detectable traces of DCD.

Are Fonterra dairy products being tested for any other toxic chemicals currently?

We test every batch (cipher/day’s manufacture) of product for a range of microbiological, chemical and foreign matter contaminants every single day.

Every one of Fonterra’s products goes through around 300 tests before it reaches our consumers in Sri Lanka.