Fonterra products free of botulism, says New Zealand ministry

A botulism scare that sparked global recalls of Fonterra milk products was a false alarm and there was never any danger to the public, New Zealand officials said on Wednesday.

The crisis led to infant formula being taken off shelves from China to Saudi Arabia earlier this month and damaged New Zealand’s “clean, green” reputation in key Asian markets.

But New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries said a barrage of tests ordered after it sounded the alarm had confirmed the bug was clostridium sporogenes and not the potentially fatal clostridium botulinum, as originally indicated.

“It is therefore not capable of producing botulism-causing toxins,” the ministry said in a statement.

“There are no known food-safety issues associated with clostridium sporogenes, although at elevated levels certain strains may be associated with food spoilage.”