Australian baby formula in China “safe” says company

This is another case of E. Sak contamination that has been linked to the Chinese milk product issues from earlier this year. It is likely that the ramifications from the Chinese failures will be felt worldwide, and for some time. Yet more reason for concern. Below is the story:

The Australian manufacturers of a baby milk formula and a milk powder rejected by Chinese authorities say their products are safe.
Nine tonnes of Ausnutria products, manufactured by Australian dairy supplier Tatura, have tested positive to a potentially deadly bacterium.
China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) claim the products contained Enterobacter sakazakii which can cause fatal infections in infants.
Tatura said they were surprised by CIQ’s findings.
“Other products, produced at the same time but sent on different shipments were cleared,” Tatura spokesman Tony McKenna said.
Mr McKenna said Tatura would not change its testing standards which it claims are “state of the art”.
The northern Victorian company maintains the discrepancy was due to the sensitivity of the tests, as well as the equipment and techniques used.
The Tatura products were rejected in June but only reported in the media this week.
Mr McKenna said the timing was disappointing but “not malicious”.
“It’s a hot topic and the press got a hold of it,” he said.
He said Tatura’s product was not linked to the recent scandal in which the industrial chemical melamine was discovered in milk made by 22 Chinese companies and then in eggs.
That tainted milk has killed four infants, while at least 53,000 have fallen ill.
“The fact is, we make different formula,” he said.
Tatura said Ausnutria, the company exporting the product, remained confident with their testing standards.
Some 891 tonnes of Tatura products had been exported to China in the past year without incident, the company said.
Mr McKenna welcomed CIQ’s decision to issue a public statement, assuring consumers products on the shelves were safe.
But Mr McKenna said the process should be changed to improve transparency.
“We don’t get the results. You can’t negotiate, you can’t fight it, it just gets turned around (at the border).”
Tatura said it would be working with the Australian government to improve transparency in China’s border control.
Chinese media has reported that more than 2,700 batches of tainted imported food and cosmetics had been rejected in the first seven months of the year.
Meanwhile, Brisbane-based milk producer Parmalat says it has not been informed by Chinese officials of problems with a batch of its products.
A Chinese government website has listed more than 14 tonnes of Parmalat’s Pauls brand milk powder as having failed a bacteria standard in July.
A Parmalat spokesman told AAP it was only aware of the incident through media reports.
“Parmalat has not been informed of any problems with any products from any Chinese authorities,” the spokesman said.
“We are keen to assist in any way to clarify the issue but it is unusual that the issue has only just been raised now and only through the media.
“All Parmalat products are subject to stringent quality standards, passing quality inspections in Australia prior to export.”

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