The product recall that followed caused an international crisis – and it was announced on Wednesday further testing had shown there was no threat from the bacteria that had been discovered.
Mr Key says it’s too early to blame anyone for what happened and he’s going to wait for the inquiry reports to come in.
«Before we can say what could have happened, or should have happened, and who is at fault, we have to understand the full chain of events,» he told reporters on Thursday.
«At the point where Fonterra believed there was a problem, they did absolutely the right thing and if they hadn’t all hell would have broken loose.
«If children had died it would have been a very serious situation for Fonterra and for the government.»
Mr Key said he still intends going to China after the four inquiries that are under way have been completed.
«We want to reassure them that we take food safety absolutely seriously, we want to give them confidence that our systems are in place, share any learnings, and try to repair any latent damage that’s been done to New Zealand’s brand and to Fonterra’s brand.»
Source: News.com.au