The parents of 10-month-old Lucas van der Drift are furious with Fonterra for putting their son at risk of botulism by selling whey containing the organism to food companies.
Brian and Stacey van der Drift, of Gordonton, took their tins of Nutricia Karicare back to the supermarket yesterday after reading on the Waikato Times Facebook page that some batches of formula were at risk of containing the bacteria.
«We had to buy another one and make sure it was safe,» Mrs van der Drift said. «You don’t expect these things to happen. What if he had got sick?»
Fonterra’s head of NZ Milk Product, Gary Romano, said on Saturday morning the bacteria was found in three batches of whey protein concentrate – 38 tonnes – made at the Hautapu plant near Cambridge in May 2012.
He blamed a dirty pipe.
Yesterday, a recall notice was issued for a second batch of Nutricia infant formula, this one for younger babies, over concern it could contain contaminated ingredients. The two Nutricia products are Karicare Infant Formula Stage 1 (0-6 months) and Karicare Gold Plus Follow On Formula Stage 2 (6-12 months).
«I think it’s time they got their act together,» Mr van der Drift said. «I can’t understand how this can happen again.»
Two Chinese dairy processors were executed in 2009 after infant formula made by Fonterra’s Chinese joint venture San Lu was deliberately laced with melamine. Six children died in 2008, and almost 300,000 fell ill.
In 2012 traces of pasture agrichemical DCD were found in products, triggering further panic.
«Fonterra are pretty hard on farmers if their dairy sheds aren’t up to scratch. I can’t understand how this can happen,» Mr van der Drift said. «Fonterra chairman John Wilson needs to sort this out. He is being paid the big bucks to take the company into the future . . . not doing a very good job of it.»
The van der Drifts are considering switching formula as a result.
Mr Wilson, who farms near Te Awamutu, did not return calls yesterday.
The first Mill Street Pak’n Save duty manager Basil Way heard of the recall was Saturday night when worried parents returned formula.
«A guy came running in and said this had just been on television and I did not know anything about it,» Mr Way said. It took until Sunday morning for Foodstuffs to issue a recall memo to its stores, which include Four Square and New World.
Dinsdale Countdown duty manger Alex van Dork said a recall notice that said «Customers please note that the product above has been recalled from the sale due to POTENTIAL CONTAMINATION» was erected yesterday after Progressive Enterprises had contacted its stores. They included Fresh Choice, Supervalue and Woolworths.
«We have taken the stock off that’s affected. It’s a pretty big issue and we are trying to solve it as soon as possible,» he said.
Waikato dairy farmer/shareholders in Fonterra played the scare down.
Fonterra Shareholders’ council chairman Ian Brown, who farms in the South Waikato, said China’s banning of New Zealand milk products in response was understandable.
«They’ve made a reaction as they should and it would be very similar if the tables were turned. If you put yourself in China’s situation your reaction is to be a little cautious and what they’ve done, I don’t have a problem with.
«Whenever you’re dealing with a food safety issue, everybody has concerns but that’s one of the risks you live with when you’re producing food products and you just have to make sure you have processes in place so you can adequately deal with those risks.»
Federated Farmers’ Waikato provincial president James Houghton said: «Once Fonterra confirmed the quality issue on Wednesday they told their customers and then went public. They’ve been open and upfront and as consumers that’s all we can ask.»
North Waikato dairy farmer Peter Buckley, chairman of Waikato Regional Council, sympathised with consumers.
«From a dairy farmer’s point of view, this is concerning because it shows a lapse in one of their plants but . . . at least Fonterra is fronting up.
«We all make mistakes but when you’re in the food industry, these things shouldn’t happen.
«People want good quality food products and New Zealand does produce good quality. I think any impact on Fonterra’s brand will be short-term, not long-term.
«Fonterra would have learnt from all this and in the future they need to be quicker at getting the message out there to people.»
Last week representatives from Yashili, one of China’s big three infant formula processors, spoke in Waikato about growing Chinese demand for safe nutritional products.
Yashili wants to build and operate a $220m infant formula plant in Pokeno.
Yashili New Zealand general manager William Zhao said the Waikato proposal was the company’s first overseas venture.
«From a marketing perspective, New Zealand’s reputation for its clean environment is seen by Chinese people as being synonymous with good quality, naturally produced food,» he said.
NZAgbiz recalled Ancalf calf milk replacer (batch numbers JX24, X6494 to JX24 and X6509 JX26 X6542 to JX26 X6573) and Brown Bag calf milk replacer (batch numbers IX21-B0974, IX21-B0975, IX21-B0979 and IX21-B0983).
Source: Stuff