Uploaded August 2013 | Updated September 2026, 21 minutes ago
Chinese consumers have seen more than their fair share of food safety scares. And the latest one, much to the delight of state-run media, comes from the world's largest diary exporter, New Zealand based Fonterra.
The company announced on Sunday that they had found a bacteria that can cause botulism, a rare but potentially fatal paralytic illness. After finding the bacteria on a production line at one of the plants, it lead to massive recalls in a number of countries, including China, Fonterra's biggest market.
Fonterra's chief executive Theo Spierings immediately made a quick trip to Beijing and personally apologized for the incident on Monday. He said he wanted to be there in person to reassure the public.
hat was probably a good move. After all, Chinese parents rely heavily on baby formula, and specifically seek out foreign brands particularly after the 2008 melamine milk scandal.
But for Chinese regulators, and the media, Fonterra's safety blunder was the perfect opportunity to try and steer consumers back to Chinese brands. State-run People's Daily immediately urged customs authorities to strictly check all milk imports, saying that well-known brands may not be the most reliable. Xinhua also published this rundown of all the recent safety incidents related to foreign diary brands.
Compared to Chinese media, the Chinese public has been much more forgiving of Fonterra. Many were impressed the company responded openly and swiftly, saying that's not how a scandal like this would've developed in China. This netizen even went so far as to say "I would rather drink toxic foreign milk, at least I'd know what killed me." Another said "Fonterra exposed this themselves, because they know what responsibility means."
Many were relating this to the 2008 scandal, when Chinese dairy giant Sanlu covered up the fact that a toxic plastic chemical called melamine had been added to its infant formula. Because Chinese parents weren't notified in time, hundreds of thousands of babies were sickened as a result.So I have to feel sorry for Chinese mothers. They don't trust local milk producers and now even foreign brands are failing them too. But I think this Sina Weibo user summed it up quite nicely. He said "When foreign milk powder is contaminated, it's because of inspection shortfalls, akin to manslaughter. But in China, people purposely added melamine, so it's an act with intent, akin to murder."
Well, what do you guys think about the difference in how ordinary Chinese people have responded, compared with the authorities. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and help us share this video.
Chinese consumers have seen more than their fair share of food safety scares. And the latest one, much to the delight of state-run media, comes from the world's largest diary exporter, New Zealand based Fonterra.
The company announced on Sunday that they had found a bacteria that can cause botulism, a rare but potentially fatal paralytic illness. After finding the bacteria on a production line at one of the plants, it lead to massive recalls in a number of countries, including China, Fonterra's biggest market.
Fonterra's chief executive Theo Spierings immediately made a quick trip to Beijing and personally apologized for the incident on Monday. He said he wanted to be there in person to reassure the public.
hat was probably a good move. After all, Chinese parents rely heavily on baby formula, and specifically seek out foreign brands particularly after the 2008 melamine milk scandal.
But for Chinese regulators, and the media, Fonterra's safety blunder was the perfect opportunity to try and steer consumers back to Chinese brands. State-run People's Daily immediately urged customs authorities to strictly check all milk imports, saying that well-known brands may not be the most reliable. Xinhua also published this rundown of all the recent safety incidents related to foreign diary brands.
Compared to Chinese media, the Chinese public has been much more forgiving of Fonterra. Many were impressed the company responded openly and swiftly, saying that's not how a scandal like this would've developed in China. This netizen even went so far as to say "I would rather drink toxic foreign milk, at least I'd know what killed me." Another said "Fonterra exposed this themselves, because they know what responsibility means."
Many were relating this to the 2008 scandal, when Chinese dairy giant Sanlu covered up the fact that a toxic plastic chemical called melamine had been added to its infant formula. Because Chinese parents weren't notified in time, hundreds of thousands of babies were sickened as a result.So I have to feel sorry for Chinese mothers. They don't trust local milk producers and now even foreign brands are failing them too. But I think this Sina Weibo user summed it up quite nicely. He said "When foreign milk powder is contaminated, it's because of inspection shortfalls, akin to manslaughter. But in China, people purposely added melamine, so it's an act with intent, akin to murder."
Well, what do you guys think about the difference in how ordinary Chinese people have responded, compared with the authorities. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and help us share this video.
