Three years after a major botulism scare involving whey protein concentrate used in infant formula and other food products, New Zealand’s parliament has unanimously passed the first reading of the Food Safety Law Reform Bill. New Zealand Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew said in a statement issued Wednesday that the legislation was important both for…
New Zealand Investing Some Budget Surplus in Food Safety
Down under in New Zealand, food safety is about to get a boost from something rarely heard of in America — a budget surplus. 
Prime Minister John Key, who’s been in charge in New Zealand’s government since 2008, is about to enjoy his first budget surplus of $86 million New Zealand dollars, or about $72.2…
Letter From the Editor: Milk Money
Talk about bad timing. Anytime a product recall is quickly associated with illnesses it’s never good. But for Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy processor, the need in the past week to recall 8,700 bottles of cream for E. coli contamination could not have come at a worse time. This is a time, you see, that…
New Zealand Company Recalls Cream for E. Coli Contamination
New Zealand company Fonterra is recalling 8,700 bottles of cream distributed in-country for E. coli contamination. The recalled products include 300ml and 500ml bottles of Anchor and Pams fresh cream with a best before date of Jan. 21. The products were distributed to retail and food service outlets on New Zealand’s North Island. “We are…
Seoul Dairy is All About Keeping Trust of South Korean Mothers
Because so many Asian consumers look to them for food safety cues, the influence of South Korean mothers is hard to overestimate. Just ask Wan Sik Kim, managing director of the food safety center at Seoul-based Maeil Dairies. He’ll tell you that no force in the country, not government regulators nor the competition, has more…
Dairy Giant Fonterra Suspends Operations in Sri Lanka Following Contamination Report
New Zealand dairy company Fonterra on Friday temporarily halted operations in Sri Lanka after health authorities there found a toxic agricultural chemical in two batches of milk powder. Fonterra is already dealing with a botulism controversy in China that put New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in damage-control mode of assuring Chinese customers his government…
China's Food Safety Concerns Might Spill New Zealand's Milk
After tons of its whey protein concentrate used in baby formula was found to be contaminated with potentially deadly botulism, the chairman of a New Zealand dairy cooperative immediately flew to China to answer questions from the Chinese dairy industry and government officials. Fonterra Chairman John Wilson’s decision to answer Beijing’s questions before those gathering…