New Zealand recalls 1,000 tons of dairy products from around the world

New Zealand's main dairy exporter, Fonterra, has found a strain of bacteria causing botulism in some of its products, triggering a mass recall of up-to 1,000 tonnes of dairy products. The products affected include infant formula, protein and sports drinks, and the re-call covers countries across the World, including China, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. Botulism is one of the most dangerous forms of food poisoning, often leading to paralysis. Fonterra has not named the eight companies it supplied the affected products too. Fonterra, which is the fourth largest dairy company in the world, says it has urged its customers to urgently check their supplies. Chief executive Theo Spierings said: "We are acting quickly", adding "Our focus is to get information out about potentially affected product as fast as possible so that it can be taken off supermarket shelves".