The New Zealand-based dairy giant Fonterra said Sunday that it had withdrawn milk powder under orders from the Sri Lankan authorities for showing traces of the toxic agricultural chemical dicyandiamide, although it disputed the accuracy of the testing.
It said two batches of milk powder had been removed from shops last month after Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health said they had tested positive for the chemical, also called DCD, a nitrate inhibitor used in fertilizers. Sri Lanka also imposed a ban on advertising by Fonterra’s Anchor powder brand.
But Fonterra’s chief executive, Theo Spierings, said that the product was clean and safe and that the company was contesting the test results and the ban.
“We are definitely fighting it, because we have clear certificates — DCD-free, stamped, when it was exported, when it was imported — all clear,†Mr. Spierings told Television New Zealand.
He said Fonterra’s testing and that of independent bodies had shown the milk powder was safe.
The Sri Lankan recall follows the withdrawal last week by Fonterra and several of its customers of infant formula, sports drinks and animal feed in several countries because of fears of contamination of a whey ingredient with a bacterium that can cause botulism.
The New Zealand prime minister, John Key, also doubted the accuracy of the Sri Lankan tests.
“We have been aware for some time,†Mr. Key said, of “discrepancies between the testing that has been done in New Zealand and what the Sri Lankan officials believe that they have tested for.â€
“I’ve got to say that we have tremendous confidence in our testing,†he said.
In February, the presence of DCD in low levels in some Fonterra products was announced, four months after the chemical was detected, causing widespread concern in China and Taiwan.
It is said to pose no health threat to humans in small quantities but is no longer used in New Zealand fertilizer.
Mr. Key also said details of an official inquiry into the cause and handling of Fonterra’s botulism scare would be released Monday.
The company said last week that three batches of whey protein concentrate, totaling 38 tons, had tested positive for Clostridium botulinum. That bacterium can cause botulism, a sometimes fatal illness.
China and Vietnam stopped some dairy imports from New Zealand in response to that incident. Fonterra said eight customers had been affected in seven countries: Australia, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam. It added that the contamination had been traced to a dirty pipe in one of its New Zealand processing facilities. Executives said the source of the problem had been fixed.
Source: NYT
