Melamine scare exposes problems
The names of familiar companies appear in the list of those who import and/or manufacture milk powders from China: Lipton tea, Cadbury chocolate and even coffee giant Starbucks. All three of these corporations, among many others, have withdrawn their products after the scare that they may have been contaminated. In addition, on Nov. 12, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) placed an import ban on "products that contain milk or milk-derived products" from China.
This incident shows the necessity of having stricter governmental regulations on producers throughout the world. Most developing nations do have such rules in place and enforced; in Europe, if a product contains more than a safe level of melamine, the entire batch of it is immediately destroyed.
Likewise, in the United States, the FDA will not approve the sale of any product if it has more than 2.5 parts per million of melamine. Chinese manufacturers are able to use toxins like melamine because no one is regulating how they fabricate their products.
The Chinese government and the milk manufacturers did make a formal apology to the citizens of China and to the world, but this policy was made after the fact. Within the Chinese public, many are now afraid to purchase the cheaper, domestic milk for fear of poisoning.
At the end of September, the Chinese government created a new stricter inspection program to "carry out forceful measures to deal with the chemical contamination." This new program is but a first step, and we must wait and hope that the Chinese government will ensure that it is fully enforced.
Above all, a government's role is to protect its citizens from harm, and this includes protecting from the dangers of toxic chemicals in their own domestic food market. But in the 21st century, we need to do more than just ensure that our food supply is safely produced. We live in a global economy in which every country imports thousands and thousands of products from other countries because it is more cost effective and beneficial to all parties involved.
This means that the world as a whole must place stringent regulations upon its manufacturers. If incidents such as the melamine scandal continue to occur and further bans are placed on imports and exports, contamination of products could be the least of our worries. The global economy and trust in foreign produce is compromised, and the world as a whole could suffer.
Saumya Gurbani is a freshman chemical engineering major from Baroda, India.
This incident shows the necessity of having stricter governmental regulations on producers throughout the world. Most developing nations do have such rules in place and enforced; in Europe, if a product contains more than a safe level of melamine, the entire batch of it is immediately destroyed.
Likewise, in the United States, the FDA will not approve the sale of any product if it has more than 2.5 parts per million of melamine. Chinese manufacturers are able to use toxins like melamine because no one is regulating how they fabricate their products.
The Chinese government and the milk manufacturers did make a formal apology to the citizens of China and to the world, but this policy was made after the fact. Within the Chinese public, many are now afraid to purchase the cheaper, domestic milk for fear of poisoning.
At the end of September, the Chinese government created a new stricter inspection program to "carry out forceful measures to deal with the chemical contamination." This new program is but a first step, and we must wait and hope that the Chinese government will ensure that it is fully enforced.
Above all, a government's role is to protect its citizens from harm, and this includes protecting from the dangers of toxic chemicals in their own domestic food market. But in the 21st century, we need to do more than just ensure that our food supply is safely produced. We live in a global economy in which every country imports thousands and thousands of products from other countries because it is more cost effective and beneficial to all parties involved.
This means that the world as a whole must place stringent regulations upon its manufacturers. If incidents such as the melamine scandal continue to occur and further bans are placed on imports and exports, contamination of products could be the least of our worries. The global economy and trust in foreign produce is compromised, and the world as a whole could suffer.
Saumya Gurbani is a freshman chemical engineering major from Baroda, India.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Clemson Grad
Jack
posted 11/21/08 @ 7:26 PM EST
Where is the outrage? It is the Melamine mfg-ers that are selling the poison. STOP THEM and the poison pipeline is plugged. Hold both US and Chinese companies accountable
Business Opportunities
posted 11/23/08 @ 11:36 AM EST
Who was the genius who came up with the idea to put melamine in milk and other foods. I thought that the Chinese were smarter than that.
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