The co-op’s investigation was late last week narrowing in on that cause but the final report and conclusion is not due out until this week.
It is investigating how Anchor and Pams fresh cream became contaminated with E.coli, leading to the recall of 8700 bottles throughout the North Island. The recall is now completed.
Fonterra Brands NZ managing director Peter McClure told Dairy News late last week he did not want to pre-empt results of that investigation but they had narrowed down the cause.
“Essentially we’ve eliminated most things, so we are zeroing in on one part of the plant,” he says. “We haven’t finalised that. It’s incredibly complex and we are working through that.”
They should have a firm view this week. “We may never know precisely what did it, but it will be the most likely cause.”
Plant failure rather than human error is the focus, McClure says. Early indications were the way a piece of equipment was operating, but he did not want to speculate further.
However test results identifying the strain of E.coli involved have eliminated the two most serious types.
In respect of the recall, those people who indicated they felt unwell are now all okay. A sick baby who may have consumed the cream has recovered. “There was always a question over whether the baby consumed cream or whether it was some other cause. The baby had been eating other things which were probably not recommended for babies. But we were still concerned and didn’t want to treat it lightly.”
The recall is completed, they have got back from the market what they will get back; everything else has either been consumed or disposed of.
His understanding from anecdotal feedback through Fonterra about the Chinese market is that “because we worked quickly and have been open, the reaction has been reasonably positive”.
