Threat of insecticide contamination in New Zealand infant formula
Text/ Ministry of Health and Welfare
The Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as the FDA) received an official notification from New Zealand that the country's Federated Farmers and the Fonterra dairy group had received threatening letters stating that their products had been maliciously contaminated with an insecticide. The country has already adopted strengthened management measures, and also reminds consumers who use infant formula milk products and other formula foods manufactured in that country to pay attention to the integrity of product packaging.
According to information from New Zealand officials, the country received an anonymous threatening letter stating that if the country did not ban the insecticide named "1080" (whose ingredient is sodium fluoroacetate) by the end of March 2015, the country's infant milk powder and other formula foods would be maliciously contaminated with 1080. The New Zealand police have launched an investigation, and the government, industry, and retail channels have jointly adopted strengthened safety measures. New Zealand has tested more than 40,000 food products, and so far no contaminated products have been found.
The FDA stated that infant milk powder suitable for infants under one year of age in our country must undergo case-by-case review by the Ministry of Health and Welfare before being marketed to determine whether the product formula meets the nutritional needs of infants. Those that pass are issued a special nutritional food inspection and registration permit, and when imported, they are imported under their exclusive tariff code with batch-by-batch inspection, and are classified as strengthened-control foods.
In response to the case of threatening letters involving New Zealand infant milk powder and other formula foods, businesses importing related products from New Zealand should strengthen product management; consumers purchasing infant milk powder and other formula foods should pay attention to the integrity of product packaging. If there is anything unusual, please immediately contact the responsible manufacturer indicated on the product label, or call 0800-285-000 to report to the health authorities; the FDA will keep abreast of the latest information from New Zealand and strengthen border control measures as appropriate.
The FDA calls on the public, if carrying infant milk powder and other formula foods from New Zealand, to pay attention to whether the products show signs of contamination, and reminds the public that if traveling to New Zealand, they should pay attention to relevant warnings and avoid purchasing and consuming problematic foods.