Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Made in China?

What do you make of the recent scandal that is making the headlines every day?

It is kinda scary to know that at one time or another, we have consumed them.

The current list is this - (It's what I got from the newspapers today)

Banned :
1. Dutch Lady pasteurized strawberry flavoured milk
2. White Rabbit milk candy
3. Yili yoghurt ice bar

On the list of things that are being recalled are M&Ms, Snickers peanut bars, Dove chocolate bars, Oreo wafer sticks, Magnum mini classics ice-cream, Monmilk milk, Walls Mini Poppers ice-cream, Mentos yoghurt bottle, Wall's all-natural mango, Moo sandwich ice-cream, mini Cornetto & Youcan ice-cream. These have not been proven to contain melamine, but are recalled for pre-cautionary measures.

When the first problems with China products came to light, was it last year, starting with White Rabbit candy, I was on the alert. It hit so close to home - these are the things we grew up eating. It's really scary to think when did all this begin. I have been avoiding MIC foodstuff, all kinds, since last year, including fresh fruits, frozen seafood, etc. I make sure always to check the labels. I guess it's only right to be super kiasu and wary of the stuff we put into our mouths. I loved the Moo sandwich ice-creams and thought it was a good ice-cream for kids, till I found out on the back that it is MIC, and that's when I stopped purchasing them. With fruits etc, I mean, how do you know what they add to the soil etc? It's scary to think. I miss my favourite haw flakes, which my little girl also loves, but I guess it's just a little sacrifice that we have to make.

There was also a problem with toys, and imagine a brand name such as Fisher Price being affected, how do we know if the cheap toys that we find being sold everywhere, are safe? I got an email about used condoms being recycled to make cute little hair ties for our girls??? It's gross!

I quote this from the email I received :-

BEIJING (AFP) - Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, state media reported Tuesday In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.. 'These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ...... threatening the health of local people,' it said. Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said. 'People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns,' the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying. A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for j ust 25 s en (three cents), much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said. A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal. China 's manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets. In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems. Check your kids hair bands and make sure they do not put them in their mouth while trying to plait or tie their hair.

11 comments:

Vivien said...

which newspaper?

SIG said...

ho jiak - Hi there... Straits Times & The New Paper.

ganache-ganache said...

Yes, we all grew up with White Rabbit candy ! Like you, I checked labels when doing grocery shopping & I don't buy biscuits & snacks from China too, it's tough as China stuff have flooded the stores ! What to do, just have to pay more for other imported stuff which are more expensive !!

Jori said...

Last March (2007) my cat was a victim of the massive pet food recall in Canada/US. Turns out the items that was affecting the animals was a starch or something that came from China.
Hundreds of animals became ill, or died, as a result of this. The food doesn't have to be made in China - just one small portion of it can cause terrible effects.

So sorry to hear it has hit your side of the world, too.

Little Corner of Mine said...

Man, that's really scary! Now, I need to check where the chocolates I bought made from. And they even recycled the used condoms! Why like that? *faint*

Beachlover said...

wow!!yikes!! used condom!! it never cross my mind that this unprinciple ppls from China will use usedcondom to make rubberband for kids!.I stop buying food made in china since the toys news break out last year.Even the ppls from China in US don't dare to buy their own food products.Thanks for posting the news.I better throw my daughter colorful new pack rubberband away!

Unknown said...

hiya! the milk scandal really scared the shoot outta me

i've been using meng niu milk for a while and it's one of 'em! ARRRGGHHHH

SIG said...

ganache-ganache - You are so right. Everything is made in China these days. We just have to be more cautious.

jori - Really? Oh dear. Was kitty affected? Poor thing. Yes, for sure, one little potent ingredient is all it takes. Well, the problem is not just on my side of the world but rather world-wide is affected. That's why countries such as New Zealand and Australia are lucky in the sense that they are very strict about imported goods. So Australians should be thankful that people aren't allowed to bring most foodstuff into their country. However, they aren't 100% protected. White Rabbit candy can be found on their shelves. But at least there's minimal effect on them.

SIG said...

lcom - Ya man, really can faint!

beachlover - Oh gosh, you shouldn't just throw whole pack away. Just check and make sure. So far, I've not come across this. I've checked the hair ties and they seem to be ok, made from rubberbands. We just have to be on our toes. Yes, me too, with the toys, and all the bad press, have kept away from MIC products, but sometimes in the other stuff that are produced locally, there might be some imported ingredients from there which we do not know of. So this is up to the authorities to do their part and ensure that what we consume do not harm us.

Rita - Oh gosh! Yikes! Change to Aussie products?

Jori said...

My cat died. She had severe renal failure and went down to 7 pounds. She was a beautiful pure-breed Siamease. S is still crushed about her death, even though we got replacement kitties soon after. (One for each boy.)

I am starting to think more and more that home made, homegrown is the best/safest/healthiest options now.

SIG said...

jori - Oh my, oh my, that is so so sad. I'm sorry to hear that. Oh yes, no doubt, homegrown would be best. Just read the label carefully now when you purchase goods.