It wasn't such a happy birthday after all. Yesterday's local papers reported that 23 grade school pupils, mostly 9 to 10 years old, of Madridejos, Bantayan Island were hospitalized after the classmates ate some "Ube Milk Candy" made in Guandong, China. Birthday girl Rachel distributed the candies to her classmates. Soon after reportedly eating the candy, 23 of them experienced severe stomachache, dizziness and vomiting symptoms and they were rushed to a nearby hospital. The reported common cause: The "made (deadly) in China" candy bought from local merchants.
As a shopper or consumer, I'm sure you've noticed our stores shelves teeming with arrays of China-made food products - from candies to biscuits to food spreads to infant formula. Also, over the past few months, a number of shocking product safety exposés have rocked China and horrified the world. The aggressive international media, especially in the United States, have exposed one badly made Chinese export after another, from poisonous pet food to toxic toothpaste to bogus antibiotics. These revelations have raised serious questions about China's production standards…and what those standards could mean for us as the consumers.
According to an online article dated September 20, the Philippine Department of Education through a memo to all public schools has banned the sale of imported Chinese food products in school canteens amid reports that the goods contain cancer-causing formaldehyde, the education department said Thursday. The memo also instructed officials to inform students the possible health risks from eating the Chinese food products, which include candies and biscuits. Undersecretary Vilma Labrador said the ban was issued after tests by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) showed that several Chinese food products were positive for formaldehyde.
Among the Chinese products tested by the BFAD and found to contain formaldehyde were the White Rabbit Cream Candy (though this also contradicts other reports), Milk Candy, Bairong Grape Biscuits, and Yong Kang Foods Grape Biscuit. The Philippine government has already banned the import of these products, but the goods are still being sold in many shops in the country despite the warning…like in the small Bantayan store where Rachel's mother had bought the "Ube Milk Candy" and in the Carbon Market, the store's supplier.
There have been speculations that the bad rap on Chinese products is just Western propaganda designed to destroy China's reputation as the ultimate cost-effective manufacturer. After all, the Asian powerhouse is growing very powerful (perhaps a threat to other countries?). But I don't think it's just black propaganda. With numerous deaths in China and around the world, the reports are alarming. And the common thread appears to be poorly made products from China. Shouldn't we take that as a warning rather than propaganda? The statistics don't lie. I'm not advocating the boycott of all Chinese products. I'm suggesting that we as consumers, whose natural inclination is for the cheaper brand, should be more discriminating and where the product involves our health and food, often it pays off to pay a bit more.
We once stocked hordes of candies and toothpaste at home. They were China-made imports bought from a popular retailer/wholesaler in downtown Cebu. I ate a handful of a certain milk candy whose brand I didn't recognize but it did look delicious. An hour later (and I hadn't eaten anything else), I had awful red rashes all over my arms and chest. I believe it was because of the candy. Fortunately, I suppose my body is more resilient than the downed 23 school kids since I only developed allergies. The toothpaste was equally tempting - it boasted of Aloe Vera, fluoride and moisturizers (yes, even that). But after watching CNN reports on toxic toothpaste, I never opened the tube again. I told my health-conscious mother about the weird toothpaste and she disposed of the whole stash immediately. But our family was raised to never, ever throw away food - either finish it or when in serious doubt, just leave the food alone. So what did we do with the candies? We left them in the refrigerator chiller. It's been months now, and they are still there.
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Email: ardelletm@gmail.com