(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Sept. 26)

Food fraud: Consumers have to fight against makers, regulators

A scare sweeping all of China now is not about financial turmoil but about health concerns caused by tainted milk powder.

The food safety scandal has finally landed in Korea, as recent tests found two
snack products contain high levels of melamine-laced milk from China. The
adulterated formula has killed four babies and harmed about 6,000 others in China
with kidney stones or kidney failures.
Domestic consumers don't need to be overly scared, for the amount of their
possible consumption of the chemical additives would be almost negligible in
terms of both volume and period the products in question have been circulating.
That's what related government and business officials said in effect to help ease
consumer concerns. If true, nothing would be more fortunate. But these are hardly
the words the people want to hear from the companies and public agencies, which
have done nothing for almost two weeks while most other countries in East Asia
and beyond have been abuzz with the new food scandal.
Korea has had more than its fair share of Chinese food problems, including fish
containing lead, kimchi made from dirty cabbage and a snack that included rodent
parts. The frequent damage, however, should be no reason for indifference but
additional alertness, as this is a matter of public health, and if left
unattended, an issue of life and death.
The domestic food makers and confectioneries will likely continue to rely on
Chinese suppliers of materials and semi-processed food for cutting costs. This
means the companies must redouble efforts for quality control, and the government
must make them do so.
In the latest case, however, both neglected their duties. Haitai Confectionary,
the snack maker, failed to find problems in its own inspection, and the Korea
Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) tried to downplay it, saying the initial
check has found Korea has not imported the controversial made-in-China formula.
This is especially worrisome, considering Korea imported 13,574 tons of processed
food, such as bread and chocolates, containing milk products, from China this
year. Foreign reports say the melamine scandal could be only the proverbial ``tip
of the iceberg," noting many Chinese dairy product makers use not only this but
other chemical additives to increase profits.
As far as corporate greed and bureaucratic negligence are concerned, Korea can
hardly be said to be much better than China, where anti-Korean sentiment is
rising now mainly because of the Korean people's display of an unwarranted sense
of superiority.
The time has long past for the government to revise laws and regulations to slap
maximum penalties on businesses that play with consumers health to maximize their
profits.
When the people cannot rely on the government and corporate leaders to protect
their safety, they consumers will only have themselves to fight against immoral
executives and idle bureaucrats.
If forced to do so, however, they can't help but ask what are taxes for and where
is the government that always vows to make this an advanced country.
(END)