The Sri Lankan consul to New Zealand says Fonterra will find it difficult to regain the trust of Sri Lankans and restore consumer confidence.
A court-ordered ban on the sale and advertising of Fonterra products was lifted on Saturday. The ban had been imposed after claims the agricultural chemical dicyandiamide (DCD) was reported to have been detected in milk powder.
Fonterra suspended its operations in Sri Lanka last week and stood down its 750 staff there until further notice after a nationalist group protested outside one of its plants about the alleged contamination.
Consul to New Zealand Aruna Abeygoonesekera says Fonterra should be able to resume operations in Sri Lanka soon but will have to get more involved in the industry there if it’s to mend the damage done to its brand.
“They need to get more involved with the milk producing industry in Sri Lanka and actually amend their business model,” he says.
Mr Abeygoonesekera says that means passing on expert knowledge to the Sri Lankan dairy industry.
He says Sri Lankan consumers are very clear that they will not accept milk powder containing any DCD and Fonterra should have listened to their concerns. (RadioNewZealand)
