Fonterra, the world's leading exporter of dairy products, publicly apologized on Monday for a milk powder contamination scare in China, according to the Huffington Post.
Fonterra, said it found bacteria that would have caused food poisoning in some products. Contaminated whey protein concentrate was sold to China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. It's been used in products including infant milk powder and soft drinks.
Theo Spierings, Fonterra's CEO said his visit to China was to reassure customers and the local media that processing methods would kill off harmful bacteria.
"We really regret the distress and anxiety which this issue could have caused," Spierings said. "We totally understand there is concern by parents and other consumers around the world. Parents have the right to know that infant nutrition and other dairy products are harmless and safe."
Fonterra is a major supplier of bulk milk powder used in infant formal in China. The product does not sell in China under its own name after a Chinese dairy company was found to have added melamine, often used in plastic, to bulk up formulas in 2008. Six infants died and thousands became ill.
The threat of contamination threatened New Zealand's reputation for food safety. According to the Huffington post Forrterra, a leader in New Zealand's $9 billion dairy export trade, was not facing a ban on its products in China. China only restricted Fonterra's whey protein concentrate.
Spierings expected the restriction to be lifted this week as Chinese regulators pinpoint on what went wrong. He said the problem will be resolved within two days after all contaminated products have been recalled.
