China and Russia impose ban on Fonterra’s milk powder over botulism fears

China and Russia have banned the imports of whey protein and infant formula from New Zealand-based multinational dairy Fonterra after the co-operative revealed that the batches of whey protein contained bacteria, which poses risk of botulism.

Botulism is a dangerous form of food poisoning caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum; it attacks the nervous system and can affect people of any age group.

Consumption of food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum toxin may lead to double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, a dry mouth and muscle weakness.

The contaminated whey protein concentrate was exported to a number of countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia.

Fonterra stated that the problem was detected after tests were conducted in March this year and occurred due to a dirty pipe at a processing facility for whey protein concentrate.

The bacteria was found in three batches of whey protein, which were used in Nutricia Karicare for infants.

There have been no reports of illnesses to date associated with the consumption of affected products.

Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings told reporters in Beijing that parents have the right to know that infant nutrition and other products are safe.

"We regret the distress and anxiety which this issue could have caused," Spierings said.

The co-operative is committed to China and is working with regulators to address the problem, he added.

Commenting on the situation, Trace One senior vice-president Nick Martin said that transparency is key for any retailer or supplier for brand protection, consumer confidence and food safety.

"Retailers and manufacturers need to be able quickly identify all impacted products and act to remove any impact to customers, especially in cases such as these when confidence may have already been substantially damaged by previous events," he said.

"Responsible retailing means being able to say with full confidence that swift action has been taken and ensure that the impact on consumers is minimised as much as possible."