New Year canned-food scare
Wanrapee Charaswattanawan, a public-relations executive, is not too worried about the latest warning by the Public Health Ministry asking consumers to be wary when choosing baskets of canned goods as New Year gifts as some contaminated goods could be found beneath the ribbons.
It's not that Wanrapee checks the cans' use-by dates - she has solved the problem by not buying canned gifts at all. Instead she buys freshly made traditional sweets. "I will be more cautious when choosing canned foods for the family from now on," she said, when learning of the latest warning from the department. The department has just issued an alert for consumers as well as both gift givers and receivers to carefully check if any canned goods are beyond the specified use-by date or have some irregular dents on the surface. The department said canned goods may contain Clostridium botulinum, a dangerous bio-organism that can cause muscle paralysis within two to 16 hours, accompanied by vomiting, and could even lead to cardiac arrest within three to six days of consumption. Consumers and gift givers should check all labels and marks, and carefully examine the condition of the can for possible rust or deformities. Dried edible products may also be contaminated with mould due to inappropriate storage and could lead to liver cancer because a substance called aflatoxicosis may be found in the items. What's more, some sellers may have sprayed insecticide to prolong the fresh appearance of the goods. All the major supermarket operators insist their offerings for the coming holiday season are safe. At Tops supermarket at Mah Boonkrong Centre, staff said all the gift baskets go through quality-control checks and none of the cans would expire within the coming six months. A 100-per-cent refund for any damaged or contaminated goods is also the policy there. "We check the goods from the moment we receive them from our suppliers," she said. At Tesco Lotus the policy is pretty much the same and the staff there claim they have yet to encounter any customers demanding goods be exchanged due to contamination. More specific measures to counter possible contaminated goods are also expected to be applied soon to strengthen the safety controls. Meanwhile, at Big C, another major supermarket chain, the firm urged consumers to rest assured because all suppliers have been carefully chosen. Any goods found to be contaminated can also be exchanged.
Busarakham Sinlapalavan The Nation
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