New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has apologized for a milk powder contamination scare in China that has raised serious safety concerns. Fonterra's Chief Executive Theo Spierings told a news conference in Beijing on Monday that the company is cooperating with the Chinese government to let consumers know which products are contaminated. And its staff is making sure to keep the information transparent.

Theo Spierings, Fonterra Chief Executive, said, "In this situation we apologize, we deeply apologize to the people who have been affected by the issue to guarantee to you that food safety and the safety of the people of the (People's) Republic of China and also around the world is our first and foremost interest... our consumers around the world."

Spierings added that he came to China to reassure consumers that Fonterra highly values the Chinese market. He promised to control the situation in 48 hours, adding that 90 percent of the contaminated products have been located. Spierings also revealed that the latest problem originated in a pipe in a factory in New Zealand that was seldom used, so a routine cleaning was not enough to sanitize it.