Ibu bapa keliru banyak
Fonterra botulism menakutkan seperti China dan negara-negara lain larangan
import susu tepung. Beberapa negara telah mengharamkan import susu tepung dari
New Zealand tenusu Fonterra gergasi berikutan kebimbangan pencemaran makanan.
Malaysia telah menyertai
China, Rusia dan Vietnam dalam mengambil produk-produk dari rak. Ketua Pegawai
Eksekutif syarikat itu, Spierings Theo, mengembara ke China untuk memohon maaf
selepas penemuan bakteria yang boleh menyebabkan botulism, satu penyakit yang
jarang berlaku yang boleh membawa maut.
Beliau menegaskan produk
susu adalah selamat sebagai bakteria akan dibunuh semasa pemprosesan. China
mengalami skandal susu tercemar sendiri 5 tahun lalu.
"Jenama domestik tidak
baik, dan kini sama ada jenama asing juga tidak baik," kata Zheng Zhiqing,
datuk 66 tahun. “Saya tidak tahu bagaimana untuk memilihnya. Jenama Dalam
Negeri telah didedahkan sebelumnya . . .
sekarang telah juga jenama New Zealand. Kita perlu berbincang dengan ibu bapa
bayi ini.”
Fonterra berkata masalah
hanya datang kepada cahaya ujian berikut dijalankan awal tahun ini. Tetapi
Perdana Menteri New Zealand berkata produk-produk telah dibuat 15 bulan yang
lalu dan menuduh syarikat itu daripada kelewatan dalam meningkatkan penggera.
Di Auckland sesetengah ibu bapa bersetuju: “Jika Fonterra ini adalah
benar-benar prihatin terhadap pengguna, maka pengguna akan mempunyai hak untuk
mengetahui dengan segera,” kata seorang ibu.
Terdapat telah ada tidak
melaporkan kes-kes botulism akibat pencemaran. Tetapi Margaret Dietrich,
seorang jururawat di Plunket pusat sokongan keibubapaan berkata ia telah
mempunyai peningkatan besar dalam bilangan panggilan: lebih daripada 2 kali
ganda bilangan yang biasa pada hari Sabtu, diikuti oleh 4 kali ganda pada hari
Ahad dan Isnin.
Parents confused over
Fonterra botulism scare as China and other countries ban milk powder imports.
Several countries have banned imports of milk powder from New Zealand's dairy
giant Fonterra following a food contamination scare. Malaysia has joined China,
Russia and Vietnam in taking products off the shelves.
The company's chief
executive, Theo Spierings, travelled to China to apologise after the discovery
of bacteria that could cause botulism, a rare illness that can prove fatal. He
insisted milk products were safe as the bacteria would be killed during
processing.
China experienced its own
tainted milk scandal five years ago. "Domestic brands are no good, and now
foreign brands are no good either," said Zheng Zhiqing, a 66-year-old
grandfather. "I have no idea how to choose. Domestic brands were exposed before...
now New Zealand brands have been too. We need to discuss it with the baby's
parents."
Fonterra said problems only
came to light following tests carried out earlier this year. But New Zealand's
prime minister said the products were made 15 months ago and accused the
company of a delay in raising the alarm. In Auckland some parents agreed:
"If Fonterra is really this concerned about consumers, then consumers
would have had the right to know straight away," said one mother.
There have been no reported
cases of botulism as a result of the contamination. But Margaret Dietrich, a
nurse at Plunket parenting support centre said it had had a huge increase in
the number of calls: more than double the usual number on Saturday, followed by
four times as many on Sunday and Monday.
