The withdrawal applies to two-litre bottles of Anchor Blue Top milk with a best before date of June 7, sold in the North Island only. No other Anchor milk is affected.

Fonterra Brands New Zealand (FBNZ) managing director Brett Henshaw​ said about a dozen complaints had been received, and the trade withdrawal – when retailers are asked to remove a product from shelves – was a precautionary measure.

“While tests have confirmed the product is safe to consume and there is no risk to consumer health, FBNZ is recommending anyone who has potentially impacted milk at home to dispose of it,” Henshaw said.

“Milk can have an unexpected taste for smell a range of reasons, including the type of feed the cows which produced the milk have consumed.”

Anchor received similar complaints about funny-tasting milk in June 2017 and attributed the issue to cows in Hawke’s Bay eating too many brassicas.

Brassicas – a family of vegetables that includes turnips and swedes – are fed to cows at this time of year to supplement their grass diet.

However, when they eat too much, it can affect the taste of their milk.