Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Inspections over tainted milk start in markets

Inspections over tainted milk start in markets

Inspections over tainted milk start in markets

Government officials began inspecting markets across the country yesterday in search of baby formula containing an ingredient from New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra that could cause botulism, quality control representatives at the Ministry of Commerce said.

“We informed all our officials directly to collect nationwide some batch numbers of products which [local distributor of] the company informed us of,” said Khoun Savuth, an official with the ministry’s Camcontrol department.

“I don’t think we will have any difficulties because we have staff nationwide, and we have had especially good cooperation with the company,” he said, referring not to Fonterra but to the Cambodian purveyor of the potentially tainted baby formula, Danone Dumex.

On Saturday, Fonterra alerted eight companies, including French food giant Danone, that they had bought the contaminated ingredient to use in their products. Through local distributor Danone Dumex Cambodia, the ingredient was traced to baby formula here and a recall of up to 8,000 cartons of the product began on Monday.

The tainted whey protein in question contains a bacterium that can cause botulism, a rare but potentially fatal disease.

Danone Dumex Cambodia received nearly 600 phone calls to its hotline from concerned mothers on Tuesday after the announcement.

Kong Bo, Danone Dumex’s acting country manager, was anticipating an even greater number of calls yesterday, as concerned parents phoned to check their products against batch codes that contain the whey protein.

“The affected code is not the majority of our products,” Bo said, adding that he was unaware of any reports of illness.

The recalled formulas were listed as Dumex Dupro Green, Dumex Dupro Gold and Dumex Dulac Gold, powders used for making infant milk. By the end of the day on Tuesday, Danone Dumex Cambodia representatives had met with 210 retailers and took back hundreds of cartons.

With the ingredient present in products from China to Saudi Arabia, New Zealand’s Fonterra was struggling to meet its self-imposed deadline of late last night to have it removed from circulation.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP

MOST VIEWED

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Five-year-old Hanuman dances his way into hearts of Cambodia

    A young talent from a new-established settlement has emerged, captivating the online world with his mesmerising performances of the traditional Cambodian monkey dance. Roeun Kakada is a five-year-old prodigy who has taken the social media sphere by storm with his exceptional dance skills and dedication

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • PM declares ASEAN Para Games open

    The 12th ASEAN Para Games officially kicked off on the evening of June 3 at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring fireworks and performances by some of the Kingdom’s most accomplished talents. Tens of thousands of sports fans

  • Honda shutters Siem Reap football club

    Japanese football legend Keisuke Honda, the owner of Siem Reap football club Soltilo Angkor FC, has been forced to shut the club down, after it failed to attract sponsorship for the upcoming season. Honda, the former manager of the Cambodia men's national football team, said

  • Waterway job still pending for Kampot tourism port’s opening

    The search is still on for a contractor to expand and deepen the Kampot International Tourism Port’s waterway and deliver additional enhancements allowing safe access for larger vessels, nearly a year after the main construction work on the 4.25ha site was completed on June 30, 2022.