The chief executive of Fonterra has apologised to Chinese consumers for a food safety scare that threatens to damage the reputation of the world’s largest dairy exporter in one of its most important markets write Tom Mitchell and Neil Hume.
Chinese health officials ordered a recall of some of Fonterra’s milk shipments at the weekend, after the New Zealand-based company found traces of a bacteria that can potentially cause botulism at a manufacturing site. Vietnam followed China’s action with a recall of its own yesterday.
“We regret the distress and anxiety which this issue could have caused,” Theo Spierings told reporters in Beijing yesterday. “Parents have the right to know that infant nutrition and other products are safe.”