BEIJING--China's national quality watchdog on Monday advised
consumers to avoid two infant formula products from Nutricia New
Zealand after New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra Co-Operative Group
Ltd.(FCG.NZ) recalled products because they might contain a
bacteria that could cause severe or even deadly food poisoning.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection
and Quarantine said in a statement on its website that it was
advised by the New Zealand embassy in Beijing that New Zealand's
Ministry for Primary Industries can't exclude the possibility that
two Karicare infant formula products of Nutricia New Zealand had
used tainted ingredients supplied by Fonterra.
It advised consumers not to use the products until further
notice.
Nutricia--a unit of Paris-based Danone SA (DANOY)--has said it
was starting a precautionary recall of two Karicare infant formula
products with specific batch numbers and sold in New Zealand.
The watchdog also said on Sunday that several food and beverage
producers operating in China had imported Fonterra products that
could contain the tainted ingredients. These companies include
Hangzhou Wahaha Group Ltd., Shanghai Tangjiu (Group) Co. and Dumex
Baby Food Co., a unit of Danone.
All were recalling related products that might contain the
tainted ingredients, according to the watchdog.
China's quality watchdog on Saturday asked the nation's
importers to recall milk products supplied by Fonterra after the
major dairy exporter warned that some of its products might have
been tainted with a substance that could cause severe food
poisoning.
--Rebecca Howard contributed to this article.
Write to Liyan Qi at liyan.qi@dowjones.com
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