Saeed Al-Khotani Saudi Gazette RIYADH – The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has assured consumers that dairy products from New Zealand tainted with a bacteria that could lead to botulism, a potentially fatal illness, have not been cleared for sale in the local market. In a statement released on Sunday after global dairy giant Fonterra said some exported whey products including infant formula may contain the toxic bacteria Clostridium botulinum, the SFDA said that it will coordinate with the relevant government departments to destroy the contaminated batches awaiting clearance at Kingdom's ports. The SFDA said that its Early Warning Center on Friday received from the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) of the World Health Organization (WHO) a notification which stated that some batches of the milk powder Similac Gain Plus for children aged 1-3 years produced by New Zealand dairy company Fonterra for Abbott were contaminated as a result of the use of the tainted whey protein concentrate. For the safety of consumers, the SFDA also released the batch numbers of the tainted products. Dr. Khaled Al-Faleh, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at King Saud University, told a local newspaper that all children's milk products in the market should be checked. “There are no less than 25 types of milk products in the market,” he said, adding that it is important to periodically check these milk products even without there being any warnings. During a tour to some super markets and drug stores here, Saudi Gazette found that salesmen and those manning the counters were not aware of the existence of any contaminated products. They said that in cases like this their headquarters or suppliers, based on the announcements of either the Ministry of Health or the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, notify them to withdraw products from shelves. This has not happened so far in case of dairy products from New Zealand, they informed. Fonterra Middle East Africa said that Fonterra branded consumer products AnchorTM, AnleneTM and ChesdaleTM were not contaminated. On Saturday New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries said that the tainted products were shipped to the Kingdom and some other countries like Australia, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Meanwhile, China on Sunday blocked all imports of milk powder from New Zealand. In Beijing, the Food and Drug Administration said it had met officials from three companies importing Fonterra products and instructed them to “immediately stop selling and to recall all food products” made with questionable material. Russia's Ria Novosti news agency reported Moscow was “recalling Fonterra's products, including infant formula and advised Russian consumers not to buy the company's other products.” Danone Dumex Malaysia said it had ordered “a precautionary recall” of specific batches of milk formula for infants and young children, but tests had so far not shown any contamination. There have been no reports of any illness linked to consumption of the affected whey protein. The symptoms of botulism include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, followed by paralysis, and it can be fatal if not treated.
