Hazardous milk powder in Sri Lanka market

A controversy has arisen with the suspicion that milk powder containing DCD aka Dicyandiamide, a hazardous agrochemical, has entered into the Sri Lankan market.

The agro chemical was identified in milk powder produced by New Zealand Dairy Company Fonterra whose flagship brand ‘Anchor’ is widely popular in Sri Lanka.

New Zealand Government investigation, according to their media, had revealed traces of soil- treatment product DCD in 371 samples, affecting mainly milk powder. Traces have also been found in one butter product and 11 cheese products.

New Zealand media also charged that the country’s government did not know where the DCD-tainted products went, although some would have been sold in New Zealand. This clearly indicates that a large amount of milk powder products containing DCD have entered into the markets where Fonterra is in operation, including Sri Lanka.

The amounts of DCD found in milk powder products are contentious. Although some reports in New Zealand say that  the levels of DCD are “safe” and mostly less than 1 part per million, some categorically assert that this poses a serious threat to the public health.

DCD is a “nitrogen inhibitor” used on pastures to reduce the harmful environmental effects of urea use and runoff from cow effluent. It was revealed that Fonterra tests discovered the tainting in September, but the public and export markets were not told until late January. However, there is no internationally agreed acceptable level for DCD in milk powder. In the wake of the revelation on DCD, Ravensdown and Balance Agri-Nutrients, one of the biggest fertilizer companies of New Zealand, withdrew the agrochemical from the market until acceptable residue levels have been internationally agreed upon.

Although ‘The Nation’ attempted to contact Leon Clement, Managing Director for Fonterra Brands in Sri Lanka,to ask about the situation with regard to Fonterra milk powder brands in Sri Lanka, he was not available to comment. However, Chairman of Pelawatte Dairy Industries (Pvt) Ltd., and Mawbima Lanka Foundation, Ariyaseela Wickramanayake claimed these tainted milk powder products may have found their way to the Sri Lankan market. Among milk powder available in the Sri Lankan market, Lakspray, Nespray, Ratthi and Anchor brands contain milk powder from New Zealand sources.

Officials of Nestle Lanka PLC earlier told The Nation that ‘the quality of powdered milk products was checked and approved by authorities of the respective countries where the items are manufactured’ (‘Milk powder brands keep mum on ingredients’ in The Nation, March 17, 2013).

Maliban milk powder is imported from Australia while Pelawatte and Highland stand in the market as local products.

Meanwhile, Trade Ministry officials, in a statement on Friday, confirmed that samples of imported milk powder would be sent abroad for testing to ascertain whether they had been contaminated with DCD. The Ministry stated that the samples had to be sent abroad as Sri Lanka did not possess the technical capabilities to conduct such tests.

The controversy over DCD found in milk powder surfaced following last week’s lead story of The Nation which revealed that milk powder manufacturers were being vague when it came to listing the ingredients in their milk products and their sources. This, as industry experts explain, points out that the milk powder market in Sri Lanka should be highly regulated by a state appointed body that has a wide mandate to rectify the loopholes of the industry which put public health at risk.

What is DCD?

DCD is a nitrile derived from guanidine. It is a dimer of cyanamide, from which it can be prepared. 2-Cyanoguanidine is a colourless solid that is soluble in water, acetone, and alcohol, but not in diethyl ether or chloroform.

It is produced by treating cyanamide with base. It is produced in soil by decomposition of cyanamide. A variety of useful compounds are produced from 2-cyanoguanidine, guanidines and melamine. It is also used as a slow fertilizer. Formerly, it was as a fuel in some explosives. It is used in the adhesive industry as a curing agent for epoxies.

Sri Lankan Market

New Zealand milk powder products available in the Sri Lankan market

• Anchor

• Lakspray

• Nespray

• Ratthi

Australian milk powder products in the Sri Lankan market

• Maliban

Local brands in the market

• Pelawatte

• Highland

The Nation      

Sunday, 24 March 2013