The quarantine authorities have announced the suspension of imports of lactoferrin from Westland Milk Products, a dairy producer based in New Zealand, after discovering excessive amounts of nitrate in the lactoferrin supplied by the company.

The incident follows close on the heels of a scandal involving Fonterra, the largest dairy company in New Zealand, which admitted on Aug 5 that 38 metric tons of its whey protein was contaminated with a bacterium that can cause botulism.

In a statement published on Monday, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said the Wondersun Dairy Co, which is based in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, found an excessive amount of nitrate in two batches of lactoferrin imported from Westland.