Fonterra bacteria no risk to health, new tests reveal

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Fonterra bacteria no risk to health, new tests reveal

(Shanghai Daily) 10:46, August 29, 2013

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Contaminated whey protein concentrate involved in a recent botulism scare did not contain the bacterium clostridium botulinum and so didn't present a danger to health, New Zealand authorities said Wednesday.

The bacteria in the contaminated whey protein from dairy giant Fonterra was clostridium sporogenes, a different strain that did not produce neurotoxins, New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries said.

There are no known food safety issues associated with clostridium sporogenes, although at elevated levels certain strains may be associated with food spoilage, the ministry added.

Original tests conducted by Fonterra and a New Zealand government research institute had indicated the presence of clostridium botulinum, raising fears that infant formula and sports drinks made from the product and widely exported could be potentially dangerous, Reuters reported.

The botulism scare triggered a recall of products made by multinational brands that may have contained the whey protein in a number of markets, from China to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It also prompted bans in Russia and Sri Lanka, while other countries stepped up scrutiny of Fonterra's dairy products.

Dirty pipe at plant

The contamination was believed to have come from a dirty pipe at a North Island processing plant.

"We went to world-leading labs, which are accredited and can test for this. That has given us a clear and definitive sense that it isn't clostridium botulinum," the ministry's Acting Director-General Scott Gallacher told reporters. "There is no food safety risk here."

Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings said he was "very relieved" that the tests showed the company's products did not pose any food safety risk but he said the company "did the right thing" in announcing the possible risk earlier this month.

"When you go through a global recall, you know it will affect your reputation," Spierings told reporters. "If we had not acted on this, and if something had happened with one child in the world, then it would have caused a massive reputation issue in the long term, or even you could be wiped off the map and possibly face closure."

Regulators informed

He added: "We share a sense of relief about the further and definitive test results and this in no way lessens our commitment to undertaking a thorough review into what happened, and to learn from this experience."

The ministry said it had informed overseas regulators of the results and would be providing a full diagnostic report shortly.

On August 2, Fonterra said it had received test results indicating a strain of clostridium botulinum in a sample, the bacteria that could cause botulism, which affects nervous and respiratory systems and can even cause paralysis and death. The contaminated raw material, a total of 38 tons, was produced in May 2012, Fonterra said at the time.

New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser said the initial contamination scare based on Fonterra's initial test result was "an embarrassment" to New Zealand, whose reputation as a source of clean, safe food products was questioned by global consumers. Fonterra controls around a third of the world's dairy exports.

"We checked the information, the information turned out to be false, the consequences of this have been very serious, (we're) not comfortable about that, and we need some answers to how all this happened," he told Radio New Zealand, noting that a government inquiry was one of four currently underway.