Arla Foods, the Scandinavian owner of Lurpak butter and Castello cheese, has warned that it will be more than a year before dairy sales rebound in China following the melamine scandal, underscoring the toll the food safety scare has taken on corporate profits.

Peder Tuborgh, chief executive of Arla Foods, said its sales volumes in China were “half” what they were a few months ago. “There’s absolutely nothing good to say about the melamine scandal . . . we need to use all effort possible to regain the confidence of the consumer.”