Dive Summary:
- New Zealand's dairy problems continued this week as a product from Westland Milk being imported by China was found to have excessive nitrate levels.
- New Zealand considers 150 parts per million to be a safety threshold for nitrate, but two catches of lactoferrin were shipped despite having nitrate levels totaling 610 and 2,198 parts per million.
- "MPI's technical experts have looked closely at this issue and believe any food safety risk to Chinese consumers is negligible because the quantities of lactoferrin used in consumer products was very small," Scott Gallacher, the acting director-general of New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries, said.
Dive Insight:
The Westland Milk incident comes during a troubling time for New Zealand's dairy industry after Fonterra milk powder was found to contain bacteria that can cause botulism. The country is facing bans and skepticism abroad that could mean prolonged problems for its exports.