POISONED PET FOOD AND TAINTED TOOTHPASTE TOO:

An article in the International Herald Times titled 'China's Communist Party calls for tests to ensure toothpaste safety' reports that yesterday the official organ of the CCP, the People's Daily, called for safety tests to be carried out in a timely manner "as to some harmful ingredients" without specifying diethylene glycol. The comments appeared at the bottom of an article reporting on Hong Kong's ban of three toothpaste brands containing said chemical. On Friday Japan also joined the list of countries that have banned certain Chinese toothpastes by recalling three brands sold to hotels across the country. The article goes on to report on corruption within China's 'National Committee for Oral Health' which had taken the equivalent of US$260,000 from manufacturers in exchange for product endorsements as well as other bribes paid directly to individual committee heads. The Chinese Ministry of Health said that the illegal income will be confiscated and responsible people will be punished.

Meanwhile there's another report from the Independent Online titled 'Tainted Foods a Daily Problem in Asia' showing that the problem of tainted foodstuffs is hardly restricted to China. This South African news agency reports on the problems with food quality in not just China but also Vietnam,Indonesia and India. The problems range from the addition of formaldehyde as a preservative, borax for the same purpose,pesticide contamination and industrial dyes. Rather interesting as an overview, especially for someone like Molly who really likes her noodles.