Fonterra, the world's largest dairy exporter, said on Monday it has reassured its global customers that New Zealand dairy products are safe following the discovery of traces of a potentially toxic substance in milk samples. |
Fonterra, the world's largest dairy exporter, said on Monday it has reassured its global customers that New Zealand dairy products are safe following the discovery of traces of a potentially toxic substance in milk samples. The New Zealand firm said its testing had found "minute traces" in some of its products of dicyandiamide (DCD), a chemical used in fertilisers to prevent them from soaking into rivers, which can be toxic in large amounts. Reports of the DCD detection prompted Taiwan, Chinese mainland and Malaysia to examine their dairy imports at the weekend, local media in those areas reported. Fonterra, which was linked through a Chinese subsidiary to the 2008 melamine-tainted milk scandal in which at least six children died, said in a statement it had assured its customers that the detected DCD levels were no threat to human health. "Customers are satisfied with our answers and the anxiety is dying down," Chief Executive Theo Spierings said later on Radio New Zealand, describing reports questioning the safety of New Zealand milk as "rumours and speculation". He said the DCD levels found in tests last year were "100 times less than European standards". The fertiliser companies making the product have suspended its sale. Fonterra has been working with the government and the industry since last November to resolve the issue, Spierings said. Fonterra is New Zealand's largest company with revenues of around NZ$20 billion ($16.8 billion), and is looking to expand in Asia to tap into the region's growing demand for dairy goods. More than 90 percent of milk collected in New Zealand is exported, mainly for use by other firms as an ingredient in everything from infant formula to cheese on frozen pizzas. The news prompted slight selling in the New Zealand dollar late last week, while also weighing on the price of Fonterra's shareholder fund. (Agencies) |
全球最大乳制品出口商恒天然公司本周一稱,繼其生產(chǎn)的牛奶樣品中發(fā)現(xiàn)潛在有毒物質(zhì)后,公司已向全球消費者做出保證,新西蘭奶制品可放心食用。 這家新西蘭公司表示,經(jīng)檢測發(fā)現(xiàn)其部分產(chǎn)品中含有微量雙氰胺。雙氰胺用于制造化肥,防止化肥滲透進(jìn)河流,造成河流大面積中毒。 據(jù)臺灣、中國大陸和馬來西亞的當(dāng)?shù)孛襟w報道,由于有關(guān)奶制品中檢測出雙氰胺的報道頻頻出現(xiàn),促使這些地區(qū)于本周末對其進(jìn)口奶制品進(jìn)行檢查。 恒天然在中國設(shè)有子公司,這一子公司曾卷入2008年三聚氰胺奶粉丑聞事件,當(dāng)時造成至少六名兒童死亡。該公司在一份聲明中稱,它已向消費者保證奶制品中檢測出的雙氰胺含量不會對人體健康造成危害。 該公司行政總裁西奧?斯皮林斯隨后在接受新西蘭廣播公司采訪時說道:“消費者對我們的答復(fù)很滿意,顧慮也由此減弱?!彼麑①|(zhì)疑新西蘭牛奶安全性的相關(guān)報道定性為“純屬謠言與臆測”。 他表示,去年檢測出的雙氰胺含量“還不到歐洲標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的百分之一”。 生產(chǎn)這種產(chǎn)品的化肥公司已暫停產(chǎn)品銷售。斯皮林斯稱,自去年11月份以來,恒天然就一直同政府和化肥產(chǎn)業(yè)進(jìn)行合作,尋求解決方案。 恒天然是新西蘭規(guī)模最大的公司,年收入近200億新西蘭幣(合168億美元)。公司目前正尋求拓展亞洲市場,滿足該地區(qū)與日俱增的奶制品需求。 新西蘭超過90%的牛奶都出口國外,主要用于其他公司生產(chǎn)產(chǎn)品的原料,從嬰幼兒配方奶粉到冷凍披薩中的奶酪無一不包。 該消息的報道導(dǎo)致上周末新西蘭幣輕微貶值,與此同時恒天然公司股東基金價格也被重新估值。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津?實習(xí)生王賓雷 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: minute: 微小的 dicyandiamide: 雙氰胺 |