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| Large Dairy Supplier Warns of Botulism Threat | Large Dairy Supplier Warns of Botulism Threat |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| HONG KONG — One of the world’s leading suppliers of dairy products said Saturday that a type of bacteria that could cause botulism had been found in tests of ingredients the company sells for use in infant formula and sports drinks, leading New Zealand officials to urge a recall. | HONG KONG — One of the world’s leading suppliers of dairy products said Saturday that a type of bacteria that could cause botulism had been found in tests of ingredients the company sells for use in infant formula and sports drinks, leading New Zealand officials to urge a recall. |
| Fonterra is based in New Zealand and is the world’s fourth-largest dairy company. It sells its milk products to other companies that make infant formula and said those companies would be responsible for any recalls. New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Indistries said that in addition to New Zealand, six countries were affected: Australia, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam. | |
| Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Even tiny amounts of this toxin can lead to severe poisoning when consumed. | Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Even tiny amounts of this toxin can lead to severe poisoning when consumed. |
| “We are acting quickly,” the company’s chief executive, Theo Spierings, said in a statement. “Our focus is to get information out about potentially affected product as fast as possible so that it can be taken off supermarket shelves and, where it has already been purchased, can be returned.” | |
| Infant formula from New Zealand is in huge demand in China, largely because of concerns about the quality of domestic formula there, particularly since milk formula tainted with melamine led to the deaths of several babies and sickened thousands more in 2008. Fonterra owned part of one of the companies involved in that scandal, but that company, Sanlu, was since shut down. | Infant formula from New Zealand is in huge demand in China, largely because of concerns about the quality of domestic formula there, particularly since milk formula tainted with melamine led to the deaths of several babies and sickened thousands more in 2008. Fonterra owned part of one of the companies involved in that scandal, but that company, Sanlu, was since shut down. |
| After Fonterra raised alarms about the bacteria found in its milk products, the Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, which polices food safety, ordered importers in China to recall any products that may carry the bacteria, the administration said on its Web site. China is a major buyer of New Zealand food produce, especially infant formula and other dairy products. The Administration said it “promptly contacted the New Zealand Embassy to China and demanded that New Zealand take immediate measures to prevent problem products harming the health of Chinese consumers.” | |
| Earlier this year, Fonterra began preparing to sell its own infant formula in China, including building an ultrahigh-temperature milk manufacturing plant there, aiming to sell a quarter-billion gallons of milk in the country by 2018, company officials told Chinese state media in April. | |
| At a news conference Saturday, Fonterra officials said Mr. Spierings, the chief executive, had been dispatched to China to deal with the scare. | At a news conference Saturday, Fonterra officials said Mr. Spierings, the chief executive, had been dispatched to China to deal with the scare. |
| Fonterra officials said the problem involved three batches of a whey protein concentrate produced at a single New Zealand manufacturing site in May 2012. | Fonterra officials said the problem involved three batches of a whey protein concentrate produced at a single New Zealand manufacturing site in May 2012. |
| Officials first noticed a quality-control problem in March. The company then conducted more intensive tests, and on Wednesday workers found signs of the presence of Clostridium botulinum in a sample. Investigators have tied the problem to unsterilized pipes at a factory, and officials said those pipes have since been cleaned. | |
| While Fonterra did not name the companies that it had alerted to the problem, New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries identified one product sold within the country: Nutricia Karicare follow-on formula products for children ages 6 months and older. | While Fonterra did not name the companies that it had alerted to the problem, New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries identified one product sold within the country: Nutricia Karicare follow-on formula products for children ages 6 months and older. |
| The ministry “has been advised that in the case of the Nutricia Karicare, five batches of follow-on formula were manufactured using the contaminated whey protein,” said Scott Gallacher, the ministry’s acting director, adding that parents using the produce should instead “use infant formula for children aged 0-6 months, ready-made formulas or alternative brands.” | |
Chris Buckley contributed reporting. |