One of the world’s largest dairy exporters is facing customer confidence issues after a contamination scandal worried some of its biggest customers. New Zealand-based company Fonterra is now attracting attention for high nitrate levels in its milk.
The company claimed, in a press release, that 42 tonnes of milk powder destined for China was turned around after concerns of high nitrate levels left the company with a major safety issue.
Fonterra is the worlds’ largest dairy exporter, providing milk products for countries as far afield as Russia and China. The company is one of New Zealand’s largest firms, with China it’s largest customer for milk powder products.
The milk powder was withdrawn after analysts found that it contained unusually high levels of nitrite. The high nitrite levels were reported by China Daily late last month, and have added to the company’s issues with exports in the region.
High nitrite levels are often caused by large amounts of fertilisers being used in the process of manufacturing food products. While nitrites can occur naturally, excess amounts can be toxic to humans and cause a variety of serious health issues.
The company claims that its milk powder tested higher for nitrate levels in Chinese testing than it did before it was shipped from New Zealand. The powder apparently complied with Chinese standards in Fonterra’s New Zealand-based internal testing.
Fonterra also noted that the milk fully complies with New Zealand standards, which are significantly less restrictive than Chinese nitrite guidelines. In New Zealand, milk products can measure as much as 2.5 times as many nitrites as they can in China.
The company reported that none of its milk powder had been sold to retailers in the affected export zone, and that the company had control of the product. Fonterra has been working to improve relations with Chinese buyers due to recent scandals.
