SanLu link threatens Kiwi image

New Zealand’s clean, green and friendly image in China may be under threat in the wake of the melamine scandal if communications are not well managed, a just-released report says.

Very few Chinese consumers are aware of the connection between New Zealand and SanLu - the Chinese dairy company 43 per cent owned by Fonterra that was at the heart of the scandal, it said.

Tainted Brands - a report from China-based media research company All Media Count - surveyed 900 Chinese consumers in several major cities and some provincial areas between September 22 and September 26. Only 3 per cent of respondents felt worse about New Zealand because of the melamine scandal.