GMOs ... behind Fronterra botulism scare in NZ?

GMOs in water supply may be behind Fronterra botulism scare in New Zealand

Sunday, August 25, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer

 (NaturalNews) The world's largest dairy exporter, New Zealand, is struggling to maintain its prized reputation as a global leader in high-quality dairy production following a recent botulism scare involving whey protein manufactured by the country's largest dairy conglomerate. New expert analysis of the situation has revealed that the contamination event was most likely caused by pollution from genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) in the water and animal food supply and not an isolated dirty pipe as is being widely reported.

Fonterra, the dairy company whose products have been implicated in the scare, had early on discovered that several batches of whey protein concentrate produced at its facility in Hautapu were contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that the company believed had come from an old pipe at the plant. But, as recently reported by New Zealand's Stuff.co.nz, this explanation appears to be invalid, as Clostridium botulinum has to come from somewhere and does not just appear randomly without a source.

According to Frank Rowson, a veterinarian and farm consultant who recently spoke with the media about the situation, this source is most likely Fonterra's own farms, where animals are routinely fed rations containing GM soy, corn and other unnatural materials. Not only are these transgenic grains problematic for animal health, contributing to the formation of Clostridium botulinum and other harmful pathogens in their manure, but the chemicals, like Monsanto's Roundup (glyphosate), that they are sprayed with also run-off into the soil and groundwater, causing further problems.

"This disease originates in contaminated feed and animal manure, and research all over the world ... shows that GM feeds and the use of increased amounts of glyphosate herbicides increases the prevalence of this disease in pigs, poultry and dairy cattle, and the neurotoxin that causes the disease will pass through the food chain into milk," says Rowson. "The most likely source is on farm or in silage and grains or soy mixed in rations, all of which have glyphosate which stimulates growth of Clostridia and other pathogenic bacteria and fungi."

GMOs, Roundup responsible for contaminating at least 870 tons of food products

Reports indicate that Rowson had already agreed to meet with executives from both Fonterra and the anti-GMO group, GE Free NZ, in a few weeks to discuss the threat of glyphosate contamination in the food supply. But since news of the contamination scare has now gone public, Rowson says officials have decided they also want to meet to discuss this important issue, and to come up with potential mitigatory solutions to resolve it.

As far as the dirty pipe story is concerned, Rowson says it is definitely possible that bacteria became lodged inside a pipe and festered with dirt to create a toxic sludge. But the bacteria still had to come from a source on the farm, the most likely explanation of which would be animals that ate contaminated food or drank contaminated water. And this all links back, of course, to the use of GMO-supplemented animal feed, a practice that has to end for the preservation of New Zealand's lucrative dairy industry.

"The dirty pipe would be contaminated by product from cows or water supply and the organism would multiply in the dirt in the pipe," explains Rowson about how the contamination may have occurred. "That's what gets into the pipes, otherwise, I hope it is not in their water."

According to The National Business Review, at least 870 tons of consumer products distributed all across the globe were affected by the recent botulism scare, as they may contain Fonterra's contaminated whey protein concentrate or its derivatives. Many of these products include ready-made infant formulas and other meal replacement products designed for children, a fact that Fonterra has been open and honest about in its ongoing investigation.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.stuff.co.nz
http://www.nbr.co.nz
http://www.gmanetwork.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/041780_GMOs_water_supply_Fronterra.html

NZ dairy giant issues global botulism alert

Posted on 3 August 2013 - 04:12pm
Last updated on 4 August 2013 - 10:36am

WELLINGTON (Aug 3, 2013): New Zealand warned international health authorities Saturday of exported dairy products, including infant formula, containing a bacteria that could lead to botulism -- a potentially fatal illness.

The government said the contaminated whey protein concentrate, or products using this ingredient, had been exported to Australia, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Dairy giant Fonterra, which manufactured the product more than a year ago, said eight customers had been advised and were investigating whether any of the affected product was in their supply chains.

If necessary, contaminated consumer products would be recalled, the company said in a statement.

There have been no reports of any illness linked to consumption of the affected whey protein.

New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser said health authorities around the world, including the World Health Organization, had also been alerted to the contamination.

"As soon as New Zealand authorities were notified of this risk, we immediately acted to inform relevant authorities around the world," Groser said.

"This has included formally notifying Infosan, the World Health Organization's international food safety regulators network. As more information on this issue is confirmed we will provide our trading partners with further updates.

"We understand that the markets to which contaminated whey protein concentrate, or products using this ingredient, has been exported are Australia, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam."

Fonterra said the affected product was used in a range of drinks including infant formula and sports drinks.

"We are doing everything we can to assist our customers in ensuring any product containing this ingredient is removed from the marketplace and that the public is made aware," Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings said.

Three batches of whey protein concentrate manufactured in May last year recently tested positive for Clostridium botulinum.

The batches have been used to form 870 tonnes of products sold in a variety of markets, the Ministry for Primary Industries' Acting Director General Scott Gallacher said.

The symptoms of botulism include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, followed by paralysis, and it can be fatal if not treated.

Fonterra said the potential impact on someone consuming a contaminated product would depend on their age and the amount they consumed.

For an adult, a small amount of contaminated whey protein "would probably pass through unnoticed", Fonterra's managing director of New Zealand milk products, Gary Romano, told reporters.

Dairy exports are New Zealand's major earner and its products are particularly popular in Asia, where they are considered the gold standard.

According to government data the dairy industry contributes 2.8 percent to New Zealand's GDP and about 25 percent of its exports. It is worth NZ$10.4 billion (US$8.1 billion) annually.

New Zealand accounts for one-third of the world's cross-border trade in dairy products.

Fonterra, the world's largest dairy exporter, reported revenues of NZ$19.8 billion ($15.5 billion) in the 2012 financial year. – AFP

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/788025

NZ struggling to complete tainted milk recall

Posted on 7 August 2013 - 09:40am
Last updated on 7 August 2013 - 10:43am

WELLINGTON (Aug 7, 2013): New Zealand was struggling to meet a self-imposed deadline to remove tainted baby formula from shelves worldwide Wednesday and end a botulism scare that has triggered global recalls.

Both the government and dairy giant Fonterra said earlier this week they hoped to ensure the last of the contaminated formula was out of circulation by late Wednesday, but ministers have since warned they can offer no guarantees.

About 90 percent of the product, which was distributed from China to Saudi Arabia, has been collected and Trade Minister Tim Groser said officials were combing Fonterra's records to find the rest.

"It's a question of working through by a process of elimination to find where the last remaining can is... it's really unfortunate, it's just taking time," he told TV3 on Wednesday.

Economic Development Minister Stephen Joyce said the formula had been cleared from New Zealand stores but "internationally there's still some that's being verified, exactly where it is".

"There will be some that's been effectively sold to end users and may or may not be returned," he said on Radio New Zealand.

Joyce acknowledged the botulism scare has dented New Zealand's "clean, green" reputation, particularly in China, where Fonterra has used the country's premium reputation to create a multi-billion dollar dairy market.

"I've read some interesting comments in the last 24 hours, people saying it's not as big as you think, well I beg to differ, it's very significant," he said.

In an editorial that was reportedly widely published in Chinese media, state news agency Xinhua blamed lax regulations in New Zealand for allowing the product to be exported.

It also raised concerns the problems were systemic, pointing to Fonterra's involvement with a Chinese company it part-owned that in 2008 illegally laced milk with the chemical melamine, resulting in six children dying and 300,000 falling sick.

There have been no reports of illness in the latest scare but Groser said such sentiments in one of New Zealand's major export markets were "not pretty".

"I have a very firm view that this is not going to be won by a slick PR campaign," he said.

"The number one thing is to fix the immediate problem. That will determine our real ability to recover our position." – AFP

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/791164

NZ milk powder contaminated with bacteria

Posted on 5 August 2013 - 09:55am
Last updated on 5 August 2013 - 12:25pm

WELLINGTON (Aug 5, 2013): New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Monday accused dairy giant Fonterra of delaying in sounding the alarm over products tainted with a potentially fatal bug, as investors sent the company's shares tumbling.

Fonterra revealed on Saturday that a whey product used to make infant formula and sports drinks had been contaminated with a bacteria that can cause botulism, prompting immediate action from China, a major market for New Zealand's dairy products.

Key said he was concerned at the impact on farm-reliant New Zealand's reputation as a supplier of "clean, green" dairy products, particularly in Asia where its infant formula has long been regarded as gold standard.

He said it was difficult to understand why Fonterra did not act immediately when tests last year showed there were problems with three batches of whey.

"I'm a bit staggered that in May of 2012, when this whey was produced, that it (Fonterra) did show something in its testing, but clearly not something that was of concern to the company because they allowed it to go out," he told Radio New Zealand.

"You would have thought that for a business where its top business is essentially based around consumer confidence, food safety and the quality of its products, that they are risks that you wouldn't take."

He said the government had a team of more than 60 personnel working to contain the fallout from the contamination and would eventually seek a "forensic" examination of how Fonterra had handled the crisis.

The Fonterra Shareholders' Fund fell 8.7 percent at the open on the New Zealand stock exchange as investors had their first chance to react to the scare, later recovering slightly to be down 5.9 percent at NZ$6.70 around midday.

The countries that the contaminated whey was exported to include Australia, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam.

New Zealand officials say China has blocked all imports of its milk powder, while there are also reports that Russia has recalled Fonterra products and advised customers not to buy them.

Fonterra said there had been no reports of illness linked to consumption of the tainted product, which contains the bacteria Clostridium bolulinium, which can cause botulism, an infection that can lead to paralysis and death if left untreated.

The company has blamed the contamination on a dirty pipe at a North Island processing plant.

The New Zealand Infant Formula Exporters Association said none of the products made by its members were affected but it had been caught in a global backlash due to the poor quality of information being released by Fonterra.

"There wasn't full and frank disclosure right at the beginning and this has led to a lot of rumours spreading in the marketplace, which is what we're seeking to counter now," spokesman Chris Claridge told TVNZ.

New Zealand is the world's largest dairy exporter and the NZ$10.4 billion ($8.1 billion) sector accounts for about 25 percent of its exports. – AFP

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/788944

Tainted milk powder recalled

Posted on 4 August 2013 - 10:08pm
Last updated on 5 August 2013 - 08:05am

Dorothy Cheng

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 4, 2013): Selected batches of Dumex, Mamex and Bebelac milk powder products were recalled today by local distributor Danone Dumex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd after a global recall warning by New Zealand-based Fonterra dairy company that an ingredient used in the products may cause botulism food poisoning.

Danone Dumex, in a statement today, said Fonterra informed the company that one of their ingredients had a potential quality issue.

"The safety of our consumers is our primary concern. Danone Dumex's quality and food safety management system includes rigorous testing procedures of our finished products. None of the products tested and sold in Malaysia indicate any contamination.

"However, given the new information supplied by Fonterra, we have taken the decision to make a precautionary recall on 34 batches of products," it said.

The New Zealand authorities had on Saturday issued a warning on whey protein concentrate (WPC) products manufactured by Fonterra as they were suspected to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause food poisoning.

WPC is an ingredient in infant formula, growing-up milk powder and sports drinks. It was reported these products are exported from New Zealand to several countries including Malaysia.

This new information indicated that some of the ingredients supplied to Danone Dumex may also have been contaminated. For this reason, Danone Dumex has instigated a precautionary recall in Malaysia.

"Consumers should not feed products with these batch numbers to infants. If you have been using these products to feed your infant and your child shows any sign of illness, please contact your health care professional as a precautionary measure," the company said.

The recall does not include other batches of the same products and other Danone Dumex products.

Consumers who have recently purchased any products with the relevant batch numbers have been advised to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

According to Danone Dumex, retailers have been informed and recalls are underway.

Further information can be obtained from the Dumex Careline at 1 800 38 1038.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/788771