Not really about toxic toothpaste but I love that title :)
Counterfeit products from China back in the news, including fake toothpaste!
When I saw a report on all the dodgy goods that were finding their way into the country from China, that one stood out as I couldn't get my head round why (given the choice of millions of products) anyone would bother making fake toothpaste?
But then I went to the supermarket and found out it's quite expensive, so there must be a big enough profit margin in it.
When you think about counterfeit goods the obvious spring to mind like CD's, DVD's, name brand clothing etc, basically the sort of things you find down the market cheap, and in the back of your mind you know it's probably fake but faced with a bunch of kids all wanting Nike brand names on their trainers and clothes it's reasonably safe option as they will never spot the difference and a pair of trainers are unlikely to harm your kids.
The recent trend into faking products that could harm you is worrying, as a smoker I'll admit to smoking ciggies from the old communist block when I was young usually brought in by lorry drivers from Poland or Czechoslovakia etc looking to earn a few bob on their trips to England, as far as I know these were no more harmful than the standard cancer sticks you bought at the local newsagent but were a quarter of the price.
But today if you buy cheap fags you're risking more than usual as there is a healthy trade in really dangerous counterfeit fags containing all sorts of nasties.
The main news at the moment is Mattel attempting to save face (and their business) after a lot of their "Barbie" range was found to have high levels of lead in the paint.
All the suspect toys are imported from China, a fact that probably wouldn't have come to light if this scare hadn't occured, now their trying to recall all the dodgy toys claiming a small counterfeit batch had sneaked in.
When I was a kid, if you were poor you ended up with toys "made in Hong Kong" and even at the age of about 5 you knew they were crap and later on you found out they contained lead paint and were just cheap and nasty, whereas name brand toys were made in the UK or USA and were high quality.
Nowadays even if the name is famous it's more likely it will be manufactured in China (possibly Hong Kong?) or another far eastern country, for the simple reason of cheap labour means more profits.
I hope Mattel go bust after the Americans start sueing them for millions of dollars because their kids have unknowingly been chewing on a high lead content toy, I'm sure the thousands of former workers at Mattel who lost their jobs when the manufacture of the toys was moved to the far east won't worry in the slightest.
In fact I hope every company that has taken to buying in from cheap labour markets, while shutting down our own industries goes the same way.
Never trusted a company that named it's main product after a nazi war criminal (Klaus Barbie the master butcher of Leigh-on-sea), although I'd hazard a guess that "Sindy" now probably has Chinese roots as well?
On the other hand if it can be proved the Chinese aren't expoiting their massive population and are paying a decent living wage to all, then it seems fair for them to compete in an open market.
But we all know that maximum profit is everything these days and while there is someone to exploit, someone will be making a profit out of it.
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