Fonterra responds to milk scare

Following a scare in China which saw six children dead and many infected, dairy products brand Fonterra has once again come under the scanner of the authorities for toxic substances found in its products.Reacting to the situation, Fonterra Co-operative's chief executive Theo Spierings reassured global consumers that New Zealand dairy products are still safe to consume, stating that there are "only minute traces of DCD in samples of some of our products."Spierings added in a statement: "DCD has never at any point been a food safety issue - and if it had been, we would have been the first to speak out. Fonterra has one of the highest standard food supply chains in the world, and safety is part of our DNA."New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries has also confirmed that the minute traces pose no risk to human health.This marks a change in the company's comms strategy from an earlier scandal regarding its milk products.In 2008, Fonterra, joint partner of the offending Sanlu group in China, was blamed for not going public despite knowing of the contamination for over a month. The milk was found to contain melamine, used for making plastics and glues. Chinese media also said that the substance may have been added to make the milk appear like it contained more protein.Currently, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veternary Authority (AVA) is conducting tests on milk imported to Singapore from New Zealand along with Taiwan and China.The products continue to be displayed at supermarkets.Fonterra's brands in the local market include Anlene, Anmum, Anchor and Fernleaf.