MILK NOW. WHAT'S NEXT?

The latest product to be banned by Singapore is the White Rabbit Creamy Candy which most of us grew up with. This is after they ban the Yili Brand Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection and Dutch Lady strawberry flavoured milk. The safest thing to do now is to not consume any dairy products from China, be it milk, ice-createm, yoghurt, chocolates, biscuits, sweets and anything else.

I was talking with some China friends last week regarding can food from China. It is to my surprise that they themselves don't dare to eat them. We normally buy them (sardine, pork, oyster, etc.) to eat with porridge, fried beehoon or rice. After the exported dumplings scare in Japan few months back, now they want to ban buns from China. Malaysia also decided to ban all infant formulas, milk and milk products from China. Starbucks stopped serving drinks with milk in China.

My China friends said the big brands, Yili, Mengniu and Guangming, which are all involved surprised him. He said this is a really bad reflection of how low the moral standards of the general industry are to gain profit since everyone is doing it. After this scandal, could there be more? This is like the Beijing Olympics, which aimed at achieving its aim but cheating behind it is fine. This is the same analogy, as long as they can achieve the higher protein levels even with cheating, it is fine. The attitude is consistent.

For me personally, I will avoid eating or drinking anything made in China for now.

China's Hu castigates local officials after milk scandal

"We had toxic rice, pork injected with water, chicken with bird flu, now it's milk. If we care too much, there is simply nothing we can eat," said 30-year-old Huang Yan sipping tea in a Starbucks, where tea and black coffee are now the only hot drinks sold after milk from the chain's main supplier was found to contain melamine.

"Who knows how many other chemicals our food contains?" Huang said. "As long as we live in this nation, this city, we have to accept the reality."

At another Beijing supermarket display, Xu Yueqin, a retired woman of 62, faces a similar dilemma.

"We have to drink milk - it has become a habit now. We have it with our cereal every morning," she said. "But we will definitely drink less in future."

Holding her 22-month-old son in the supermarket aisle, Mary Li, a 38-year-old housewife, said a lack of trust meant she always bought imported baby formula.

"This is just one case," she said. "There are many more in this country that have yet to be exposed." - AFP/yb

"White Rabbit Creamy Candy from China" also tainted with melamine

Japan recalls buns as China's milk crisis spreads

Importer of Dutch Lady brand milk destroying all milk made in China

Malaysia's Health Ministry bans all China milk products

WHO hits out at China over formula scandal

China dumplings spark food scare in Japan