Social issues

Melamine in food. It's frightening, isn't it? I thought it was only found in foodstuff produced in China. Now, I know Malaysia is not exempted. For the past few days we have been reading about food tainted with melamine made in Malaysia. Not only are they sold in Malaysia, they are also being sold in other countries. All these made me think. Are these food producers so unethical that they are willing to poison others just so they can make some easy money? If we look at all the food that go into our bodies, we will see that nothing we consume is safe anymore. Vegetables are being sprayed with pesticides which are poisonous for us, foods are being preserved so that they can be kept for a longer time and artificial colouring and flavour are used in place of natural ingredients. Fresh food like noodles, for example contains high levels of boric acid which is detrimental to our health. Of course, all these do not take effect immediately. They accumulate in our bodies and the effects will only be seen or felt later on. By then, can you imagine how much toxins there are in our bodies? Coming back to melamine, my colleagues and I were just talking about it a few days back. We all couldn't imagine how much melamine there are in our bodies as we have been consuming the 'white rabbit' sweets for so long, besides other types of tainted food. Everybody agreed that the sweets are very good, especially the wrappers which dissolve in our mouths. One of my colleagues even joked that when we fall sick and if the doctor removes the melamine from our bodies, they can produce a melamine plate with it. On a more serious note, I feel that such people should not be allowed to produce any more food and their license be revoked. Only people who are genuinely interested in producing good healthy food for consumption and not looking for instant profits be allowed to do so. Also, the authorities should play a more prominent role in ensuring these people abide by the rules set and also be more selective in awarding licenses to them. They should be honest and firm when dealing with such people. Only then can we be assured that we will be able to lead a healthy life. Only then can we be assured that we would not die of kidney or liver failure.

jennyiyan's recollections...