No consumer products have been affected in the Australian marketplace by Fonterra's whey protein contamination issue according to the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
The NZ government has also moved into reassurance mode, confirming 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.
The potentially affected product, which is confined to 38 metric tonnes of whey protein concentrate (WPC80) manufactured at a single Fonterra site in New Zealand, was used by manufacturers of infant formula, juice and dairy beverages, yoghurt, body building powder, and animal stock food.
However, DAFF said it could assure the Australian dairy industry, consumers and export markets that dairy products made with potentially contaminated NZ dairy ingredients had been removed from the Australian dairy production system.
“DAFF has successfully identified and traced back all potentially contaminated dairy product ingredients that have entered Australia from New Zealand.
“Two batches of potentially contaminated ingredient, whey protein concentrate, have been identified and traced in Australia,” it said.
DAFF said it had informed the four overseas markets which have received products containing the contaminated NZ ingredient that all affected product has been accurately traced and identified. Daff also said it had not been formally notified of any changes to Australia's export arrangements with any trading partner.
Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings travelled to China to apologise in person for the anxiety caused by the quality issue.
Fonterra, however, remains in the headlines in China. Yesterday the company announced it was one of a number of milk suppliers fined a total of $108 million for price-fixing.
Fonterra confirmed it had been issued with a fine of around NZD $900,000 following the conclusion of the China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) review of pricing practices in the mainland of China for consumer dairy products.
Kelvin Wickham, president of Fonterra Greater China and India, said: “We understand that a number of companies in the dairy industry were fined, with Fonterra’s fine being in the lowest range.”
