Government confirms safety of New Zealand dairy products

8 August 2013

Fonterra welcomes New Zealand Government’s confirmation of safety of New Zealand dairy products

Fonterra today welcomed the New Zealand Government’s confirmation that the quality issue involving whey protein concentrate is confined to the products made from three batches of WPC80 and no other New Zealand dairy products are affected.

Fonterra Chief Executive Theo Spierings said: “Public safety is Fonterra’s number one priority. When we informed our customers and the Ministry for Primary Industries of the quality issue, we advised them that it was limited to three batches of whey protein concentrate.

“We appreciate the New Zealand Government confirming this to be the case and reiterating the safety of all other New Zealand dairy products, including Whole Milk Powder (WMP) and Skim Milk Powder (SMP), butter and cheese.

“Our customers and trading partners have been reassured of this and we are continuing to work closely with the New Zealand Government to ensure that we are communicating accurate messages about product quality and safety.”

The potentially affected product is confined to 38 metric tonnes of whey protein concentrate (WPC80) manufactured at a single Fonterra site in New Zealand. This was subsequently used in the manufacture of infant formula, juice and dairy beverages, yoghurt, body building powder, and animal stock food.

“Our customers have worked quickly to locate and secure products that were not in the market and, where they had already reached retail shelves, initiate recalls. Their fast response has meant that almost all products are now back or on their way back”, Mr Spierings said.

For information on recalls taking place in New Zealand, visit www.mpi.govt.nz

About Fonterra
Fonterra is a global leader in dairy nutrition – the preferred supplier of dairy ingredients to many of the world’s leading food companies. Fonterra is also a market leader with our own consumer dairy brands in Australia/New Zealand, Asia/Africa, Middle East and Latin America.

The farmer-owned New Zealand co-operative is the largest processor of milk in the world, producing more than two million tonnes of dairy ingredients, value added dairy ingredients, specialty ingredients and consumer products every year. Drawing on generations of dairy expertise, Fonterra is one of the largest investors in dairy based research and innovation in the world. Our more than 16,000 staff work across the dairy spectrum from advising farmers on sustainable farming and milk production, to ensuring we live up to exacting quality standards and delivering every day on our customer promise in more than 100 markets around the world.

ENDS

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