New Zealand government officials say a botulism scare that prompted a global recall of Fonterra dairy products never posed an actual health threat.
Fonterra, the world's largest dairy exporter, said this month that its own tests showed some of its milk products were tainted with a potentially fatal botulism bacteria.
The scare led to recalls of Fonterra products from China to Saudi Arabia and damaged New Zealand's reputation for providing top quality dairy products.
But New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries said Wednesday its extensive series of tests showed Fonterra misidentified the bacteria, saying it did not pose a health threat.
It said the bacteria in question was actually clostridium sporogenes, which could spoil milk products if found in large enough quantities.
New Zealand officials, however, defended their response to the initial tests, saying the government acted on what it knew at the time.
Fonterra, the world's largest dairy exporter, said this month that its own tests showed some of its milk products were tainted with a potentially fatal botulism bacteria.
The scare led to recalls of Fonterra products from China to Saudi Arabia and damaged New Zealand's reputation for providing top quality dairy products.
But New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries said Wednesday its extensive series of tests showed Fonterra misidentified the bacteria, saying it did not pose a health threat.
It said the bacteria in question was actually clostridium sporogenes, which could spoil milk products if found in large enough quantities.
New Zealand officials, however, defended their response to the initial tests, saying the government acted on what it knew at the time.
