Two Fonterra dairy products banned here, there may be more

Two New Zealand dairy products were slapped with an import ban after the items were suspected of being contaminated with bacteria that could cause botulism.

The Health Ministry announced import bans on Nutricia Karicare Stage 1 Infant Formula and Nutricia Karicare Stage Follow-on Formula, The New Straits Times reported.

The two products are manufactured by NZ dairy giant Fonterra Limited.

The company had recently announced that a dirty pipe at its plant in Hautapu, Waikato, could have led to the contamination of three batches of whey protein concentrate (WPC80).

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Danone Dumex recalls products

Danone Dumex Malaysia has initiated a precautionary recall of some batches of its products following concerns over a whey protein bacterial contamination that can cause botulism.

It said none of the products tested and sold in Malaysia was found with contamination but new information given by Fonterra on Saturday had indicated that some ingredients supplied to the company might be contaminated.

“For this reason, Danone Dumex has instigated a precautionary recall in Malaysia,” it said in a statement.

It released the batch numbers of the recalled products (see graphic) and said consumers should not feed the products to infants.



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New Zealand’s ‘clean’ green’ image hurt by milk scare

New Zealand has long marketed itself as “100 per cent pure”, but experts say that image is under threat amid fears of botulism contamination in its baby formula and other milk products.

The crisis gripping dairy giant Fonterra has implications for the entire country because of its importance to the economy and the damage being done to New Zealand’s brand in China, its fastest growing export market, said communications expert Chris Galloway.

“New Zealand’s image and that of Fonterra’s can’t be separated, they are intertwined,” Massey University’s Galloway told AFP. “Fonterra is our largest exporter and represents New Zealand in markets around the world.

“This crisis is a blow to our 100 per cent pure branding and the repercussions might take some time to play out.”

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22 dirty eateries in Penang shut down

Penang Health Department inspectors checking the freezer of one of the eateries in Bayan Lepas

State Health Department and local authorities act after receiving complaints from public

GEORGE TOWN: SIX nasi kandar joints, several of them popular ones in the state, were booked for being dirty recently. They were also ordered to close for two weeks by the state health authorities.

The errant operators were among 22 eateries ordered closed under Section 11 of the Food Act. Among the 22, five were on Penang island and the rest on the mainland.

State Health Department deputy director Ku Nafisah Ku Ariffin said a team of inspectors from her department and the State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry conducted spot checks on the outlets after receiving public complaints.

Assisted by enforcement officers from both the Penang Island and Seberang Perai municipal councils, they checked 34 food outlets.

Most of the errant food operators were found to have failed to keep their premises clean.

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Fight Against Dengue during Ramadan

Mee kolok seller Roslan Wahib is using plastic bags to pack his food. Traders have been asked to stop using Styrofoam lunch boxes, which are a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes.

Stall operators using plastic bags instead of Styrofoam lunch boxes

KUCHING: RAMADAN bazaar stall operators are using transparent plastic bags instead of Styrofoam lunch boxes to prevent the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.

Sarawak General Hospital director Dr Abdul Rahim Abdullah called on traders to use transparent plastic bags.

Styrofoam boxes, when not disposed of properly, contribute to the breeding of mosquitoes, as they can be easily filled with water.

A check at Medan Niaga Satok here showed that many traders are now using plastic bags.

It was reported earlier that the use of Styrofoam boxes during Ramadan is five to seven times higher as compared with other months.

Mee kolok seller Roslan Wahib, 20 said he felt obligated to assist the authorities in their call to discard containers properly.

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Sue me, Pua tells KR1M boss

Tony Pua says Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin can sue if he is unhappy over remarks by the DAP publicity chief concerning allegedly substandard Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia goods, The Malay Mail reported today.

“Sue me if you are not happy with my statements or claims. Take me to court if you have to,” the Petaling Jaya Utara MP told the daily.

Kedai Rakyat is a chain of government-backed thrift shops run by local hypermarket operator Mydin Mohamad Holdings Bhd, which is headed by Ameer.

5 out of 16 Taiwanese food products free of carcinogens: Liow

A total of five Taiwanese food products, out of the 16 samples taken for testing, were found to be free of carcinogens, so far.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement Friday that the rest were still being tested.

The 16 product samples were sent for testing at Universiti Malaya on Wednesday for possible traces of carcinogens.

Carcinogens made up of di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) is a chemical that can cause cancer.

Two of the food products cleared, under the Ocean Spray brand, are the “Cranberry Juice Cocktail” and the “Cranberry Refreshers”.

Liow: Eggs are the real thing

Preliminary tests on eggs seized from a market in Penang following the fake egg scare have shown them to be genuine.

They are the real thing. Preliminary tests on eggs seized from a market in Penang following the fake egg scare have shown them to be genuine.

The eggs, however, will still be sent for DNA tests to determine – once and for all – if they are fake.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the first tests found the protein content, yolk and shell’s calcium were no different from normal eggs. However, the ministry wanted to be certain.

“So, the Chemistry Department is now doing DNA tests on the eggs.

“This will determine, once and for all, whether they are real or fake,” Liow told reporters after opening the national-level World Health Day 2011 celebration here yesterday.

He said the final confirmation would be known today.

Beware of fake eggs !

Fake eggs, which are allegedly full of chemicals, have been found in Penang. CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris demonstates on how to spot a fake egg.

Tighter screening of pork and piglets from China

HEALTH Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry will raise the inspection level on all pork and piglets imported from China following the detection of a banned substance in pork in the Chinese province of Henan.

It had been reported that pigs in central Henan were fed an illegal additive believed to speed up muscle growth and burn fat, resulting in leaner pork.

The banned additive, clenbuterol, is considered hazardous to people and can cause nausea, headaches, limb tremors and cancer, the Chinese media reported.

Rice shortage fear

MALAYSIA is increasing its purchases of rice from Thailand and Vietnam to build stockpiles amid fears of world food shortages and a looming grain crisis in China caused by drought.

Sources told Nanyang Siang Pau that the government, through its agency Bernas (Padiberas Nasional Bhd), is getting more rice from the two countries.

Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Chua Tee Yong has confirmed Malaysia is stockpiling rice as security against a possible global food crisis.

Malaysians largest consumers of seafood in Southeast Asia

from left.. WWF Malaysia CEO Datuk Dr Dionysius S.K.Sharma,
S.O.S ambassador Datuk Chef Wan and Malaysia Nature Society
Executive Director Dr Loh Chi Leong at the official laucnh of Save
Our Seafood (S.O.S) campaign..

Malaysians are the biggest consumers of seafood in Southeast Asia with an average consumption of 1.4 billion kg every year, say WWF-Malaysia and Malaysian Nature Society.

The organisations, in launching the ‘Save Our Seafood’ campaign in conjunction with World Oceans Day today, urged all Malaysians to practise a sustainable seafood consumption lifestyle.