Test must for Fonterra’s powdered milk
Ibrahim Hossain Ovi
The commerce ministry has directed the National Board of Revenue to test powdered milk from the New Zealand-based dairy giant Fonterra.
It sent a letter to the NBR Tuesday, asking it to test Fonterra powdered milk, said a high official, adding that if any contamination was found, it would be banned.
“We have asked NBR customs officials to test milk powder from Fonterra and directed them not to deliver it if they found poisonous elements,” Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune.
Fonterra, the world’s biggest dairy exporter, was caught up in a contamination scare this month after it found bacteria in some of its products that could cause botulism. It also disclosed it had to withdraw 42 tonnes of milk powder bound for China because of high nitrite levels.
Bangladesh imported 20,741 tonnes of milk powder, mainly from Fonterra, up to June, according to Reuters.
“We have made the testing mandatory before releasing the milk in the market as China found deadly bacteria in milk from New Zealand,” said Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed.
Customs officials in Chittagong said they usually had their own experts test products, but they had been instructed by the commerce ministry to send samples of Fonterra products to the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, reports Reuters.
Karmrujjaman Kamal, marketing director of importer Pran Dairy Ltd, said Fonterra officials had agreed to take back any contaminated milk powder. Fonterra officials in New Zealand were not immediately available to comment.
Sri Lanka last week ended a ban on the sale of Fonterra milk products that had been ordered after food safety authorities said they found the toxic farm chemical dicyandiamide in two batches of milk powder.
The term nitrates is often used interchangeably with nitrites, which occur naturally in water, soil and food and can be used as fertilisers and preservatives. Excessively high levels can be toxic.
