'Voluntarily'? Don't make us laugh!

The most telling line in the article is: “The FDA will also ask manufacturers to voluntarily comply with the primary GMP, which requires them to ensure the cleanliness of their manufacturing processes.” The key word is “voluntarily”. Hmmm. Sounds like hoping to wipe out graft by asking politicians to voluntarily reject bribes.

As to decreasing toxins in food, it’s about time. If forward-thinking and clear-minded people had been in power, this sort of oversight would have been implemented many years ago. Oh well, better late than never. But simply sending out a press release is not going to gain desired results. Years ago politicians announced that trucks carrying fresh produce to Bangkok would be inspected, to see whether fruits and veg had harmful chemical residues. Guess how many trucks were checked? Precisely one truck was inspected, and then allowed to drive on. A day later the entire programme was scrapped as being untenable.

Like little kids, all we have is hope – that politicians will lift a finger to try to improve regular peoples’ lives. My request to politicians who pretend to care about what people ingest: How about some boost for organic produce, and also doing something about the hyper-salty chemical that slightly poisons thousands each day, called MSG?

Ken Albertsen

Chiang Rai