The world over, the well-being and health of their children is dearer to parents than their own lives. This holds especially true with regards to infants, who are vulnerable and in need of constant care and attention.
he global market for baby care products is expected to reach USD 66.8 Billion in 2017. It is certainly a huge industry, very lucrative, but at the same time equally, if not more sensitive.Health regulations must be stringently adhered to,and a minute excess or deficiency in compositions of formulas can be considered a serious violation.
So sensitive is this market that any fault in the industry could spark social unrest and political instability. This was highlighted by the 2008 Chinese milk scandal, where an officially reported number of 300,000 individuals were affected by tainted products. A number of those responsible for the scandal were accused of being criminally involved, and summarily executed. Others were imprisoned, or received other forms of punishment.
[quote align=”center” color=”#b64736″]Was justice served? This is a difficult question.[/quote]
The influence of the incident was far-reaching. In 2011, it was reported that 70% of Chinese were still reluctant to purchase domestically produced milk powder. One of the consequences of this drop in customer confidence was that Mainland Chinese switch to providers from surrounding regions for milk powder, including Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore, prompting another raft of issues. Conflicts were reported between Hong-Kong residents and Mainland Chinese who crossed the border to bulk purchase of milk powder, stoking exisiting regional group tensions.
On 9th August 2012, Hong Kong newspapers reported that Japanese-made infant formulas had been banned in Hong Kong, due to the revelation of a serious lack of iodine content, which could result in an increased likelihood of thyroid problems and delayed mental development.This yet another blow the industry and the parents dependent upon it. Japanese-made products were globally renowned for their reliability and quality guarantee, but in recent years the have been undercurrents of anxiety about lapses in quality.
Has business morality decayed in Asia? Or were these incidents simply unfortunate but isolated mistakes? One thing is certain , with profit comes responsibility. The Asian market for baby products continues to grow, but whoever is takes the challenge of meeting this demand must realise that in doing so they are also taking responsibility for the health of Asia’s population- the health of infants; and the hearts of their parents.
By: Ting-Him CHAN
