
The new Food Act is also a response to recent health scares linked to New Zealand food products, in particular the 2013 one involving Fonterra, in which 38 tons of whey protein used in infant formula, much of it exported overseas, was found to be contaminated with botulism.
The New Zealand-based cooperative (and the world’s largest exporter of dairy products) responded by rounding up the contaminated product within a few days and sending its chairman to China to explain the situation.
The country’s food-safety reputation consequently took a hit as a university survey later showed that Chinese consumers believed New Zealand dairy products to be less safe than those from Europe and the U.S.
Then, in January of this year, Fonterra recalled for E. coli contamination 8,700 bottles of cream distributed on New Zealand’s North Island.
New Zealand has the distinction of being the first country in the world to receive recognition from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as having a comparable level of assurance with the U.S. in their respective food safety systems.