desserted

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Tainted milk scare

I had read an article in the local chinese newspaper, regarding the recent tainted milk issue, except that for the particular article, the focus was on taiwan and its parliamentary issues.

Apparently, the opposition party attempted to exploit the opportunity to sow discord.

As quoted from the Young PAP,

Allowed Level of Melamine
American dog food: 0 ppm
Chinese pig fodder: 2 ppm
Taiwanese human food: 2.5 ppm

Taiwanese opposition MP said Taiwan's health authority had treated the Taiwanese people worse than how American dogs and Chinese pigs were treated - 台湾人猪狗不如。

Interesting how the examples the opposition MP picked fit so snugly into the analogy.

However, the wonderful thing about us human beings is that we’ve got a much higher tolerance for contaminants as compared to smaller-sized animals. 0.5ppm is hardly going to be of much biological significance when consumed. Theoretically, the opposition's argument doesn't make any logical sense and it's no cause for alarm.

I guess it’s not surprising judging how this is coming from a country famed for its parliament fistfights.

Labels: Food safety