Factory Producing Toxic Sweets Raided In Bangkok

[webfact]

Factory producing toxic sweets raided

By The Nation

About 7,000 counterfeit lollipops and other items were seized on Tuesday in a raid on a factory in Bangkok's Thung Khru district after consumers filed several complaints about poisoning.

Many of the lollipops were being sold as famous brands or those that had Food and Drug Administration certificates.

Police and FDA agents did not find any guards at the factory during the raid, when they confiscated the products, production equipment and raw materials worth a total of about Bt500,000. The raw materials are being tested and results are expected in a month's time.

The lollipops were sold at many tourist attractions frequented by both Thais and foreigners.

-- The Nation 2011-06-02

[maidu]

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

[OzMick]

The hub of counterfeiting! I guess the dyes must be the problem; after all what is a lollipop but a lump of sugar?

[supaprik]

another very strange report......lollipop wars?

[FarangBuddha]

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

[MattabarRetail]

msg is made from salt and other chemicals which are addictive and cause cancers, thats why all fast food add it especially mc d on their french fries, and why its banned in western countries

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

[FOODLOVER]

This man is wanted and considered dangerous in connection with the Bangkok Lollipop Guild. Use extreme caution as he has been know to hang out with the notorious oompa loompas at his "Chocolate Factory".

Edited June 2, 2011 by FOODLOVER

[pointoffew]

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

Whether or not MSG is natural, why couldn't it be toxic?!

Do I understand you correctly that - in your mind, mouth and body - lead and arsenic aren't toxic?

However, MSG is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid and, unlike what MattabarRetail claims, it is NOT banned in western countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate#Australia_and_New_Zealand

[AyG]

The headline is very misleading. There is absolute zero evidence at this stage that the lollipops are in any way toxic. Counterfeit? Yes. Toxic? Not known.

[Gers1873]

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

MSG sellers argue that MSG is exactly like the glutamate in the human body, therefore it must always be "good". It is not so simple. There are contaminants in processed MSG.

An anology that can be used is that there are right-handed amino acids and left handed ones. They are like mirror images of each other. Processed MSG contains not only the kind of amino acids the body is used to handling, but mirror image ones too. This may cause problems because it is like putting the wrong glove on your hand. It's not quite the same. We don't exactly know what problems this may cause. On the other hand (so to speak) the fact that glutamate the body is used to handling is also in MSG may present a problem because an excess of naturally occurring glutamate is well known by neuroscientists to be a problem in many disease states. Natural glutamate can cause problems we already know about.

[zippydedodah]

reminds me of the "toxic" desserts being sold by a (former) hamburger joint owner here in CM... he is in jail for his additives...

[wpcoe]

Hey, hydrochloric acid is a naturally occurring substance in the human body. Want to chug a couple glasses of it?

[MUYTHAI]

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

MSG sellers argue that MSG is exactly like the glutamate in the human body, therefore it must always be "good". It is not so simple. There are contaminants in processed MSG.

An anology that can be used is that there are right-handed amino acids and left handed ones. They are like mirror images of each other. Processed MSG contains not only the kind of amino acids the body is used to handling, but mirror image ones too. This may cause problems because it is like putting the wrong glove on your hand. It's not quite the same. We don't exactly know what problems this may cause. On the other hand (so to speak) the fact that glutamate the body is used to handling is also in MSG may present a problem because an excess of naturally occurring glutamate is well known by neuroscientists to be a problem in many disease states. Natural glutamate can cause problems we already know about.

I agree. I see you know some chemisty. Yes...chemical chirality (right and left-handed / 'mirror images'). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality_(chemistry)

I believe the Thalidomide disaster / birth defects were due to the molecules having the opposite chirality than they should have and this is what caused the terrible birth defects.

MSG is made using a process that changes the molecular structure of the base ingredients. I would never knowingly eat it. Sad that the food can not even be trusted in Thailand but I already knew that. I do not eat junk food but am concerned about the synthetic chemicals used in agricuture, etc.. I just watched a scarry Al Jazeera report on the chemical compounds used in shrimp farming in Thailand, etc.. Many of the farmers are not trained in chemical, antibiotic, etc. application rates and apply far too much of the chemicals...thinking 'more is better'. The US has refused many shipments of shrimp from Thailand due to contamination levels beyond those allowed.

[Soutpeel]

Do I sense a lollipop crackdown on the horizon ?....

[laolover]

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

Not accurate. High quality japanese msg is still produced from seaweed. The product used in thailand is not. The product here is overused and is dangerous thus. Average som tum has 2 to 3 spoons of crystal. It is generally used in most all street food and seems to carry the belief, the more the better, thus dangerous levels are eaten everyday in thai food....especailly if you are under 5 years old!

Here is a quote from a study done on "manufactured" msg. It would appear that msg could be considered to be addictive???

"MSG tricks your tongue into making you think a certain food is high in protein and thus nutritious. It is not a "meat tenderizer". It is not a "preservative". The food industry is trying to confuse the issue by focusing on the "fifth" taste sense they call umami. Free glutamic acid is detected by the taste buds as a simple way to signal the presence of protein in a food, just as there are fat receptors to detect fats and receptors that sense carbohydrate or sweet flavors. The purpose is to help us discern real food from inedible matter. It changes your perception of not simply taste but the nutritious qualities of what you put into your mouth. However, and here is the main problem with free glutamic acid - It is the very same neurotransmitter that your brain and many organs including your ears, eyes, nervous system and pancreas in your body use to initiate certain processes in your body.

MSG stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. So many diets these days are concerned about the Glycemic Index of foods and yet none of them address the fact that MSG and free glutamic acid stimulate the pancreas to release insulin when there doesn't even have to be carbohydrates in the food for that insulin to act on. The food industry has found their own "anti-appetite suppressant". It's a convenient way to keep consumers coming back for more. The blood sugar drops because of the insulin flood. And you are hungry an hour later." Sound familiar?

I personally cringe everytime I see thais feeding foods with high levels of MSG to children...including many baby formulas. I eat soup with MSG and I am up half the night drinking water.

Edited June 2, 2011 by laolover

[mrtoad]

Do I sense a lollipop crackdown on the horizon ?....

I would imagine that will be the case, must be due one

[roamer]

Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

MSG sellers argue that MSG is exactly like the glutamate in the human body, therefore it must always be "good". It is not so simple. There are contaminants in processed MSG.

An anology that can be used is that there are right-handed amino acids and left handed ones. They are like mirror images of each other. Processed MSG contains not only the kind of amino acids the body is used to handling, but mirror image ones too. This may cause problems because it is like putting the wrong glove on your hand. It's not quite the same. We don't exactly know what problems this may cause. On the other hand (so to speak) the fact that glutamate the body is used to handling is also in MSG may present a problem because an excess of naturally occurring glutamate is well known by neuroscientists to be a problem in many disease states. Natural glutamate can cause problems we already know about.

I agree. I see you know some chemisty. Yes...chemical chirality (right and left-handed / 'mirror images'). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality_(chemistry)

I believe the Thalidomide disaster / birth defects were due to the molecules having the opposite chirality than they should have and this is what caused the terrible birth defects.

MSG is made using a process that changes the molecular structure of the base ingredients. I would never knowingly eat it. Sad that the food can not even be trusted in Thailand but I already knew that. I do not eat junk food but am concerned about the synthetic chemicals used in agricuture, etc.. I just watched a scarry Al Jazeera report on the chemical compounds used in shrimp farming in Thailand, etc.. Many of the farmers are not trained in chemical, antibiotic, etc. application rates and apply far too much of the chemicals...thinking 'more is better'. The US has refused many shipments of shrimp from Thailand due to contamination levels beyond those allowed.

In 1992 a friend of ours who had been studying fish farming in Scotland went to work on a shrimp farm in Thailand. a little while later when we were going to Thailand his sister asked us to bring him out a pair of boots as he was concerned about the lack of protective clothing and the chemicals he was working with. He returned a few months later and within a year had developed a very aggressive brain tumour and sadly died about a year later. His doctors could not establish a link but strongly suspected that his exposure to these chemicals were responsible.

[Benjie]

<br />Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG?  Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Toxic, how exactly? Considering It is essential for humans to eat Glutomate and Sodium to survive.

Throughout all of the (blind) studies none have proven any association between MSG and ill-effects even in studies of people who are convinced they suffer reactions to MSG. Thats none, ever.

[Igor]

You idjits and your MSG fantasies are truly amusing.

Yes, some people are allergic to it.

Those people ought to take special care to avoid it.

People who have allergies to penicillin should not use penicillin.

People who are allergic to shellfish should avoid shellfish.

The rest of us are just fine, thank you.

The concept that YOUR body is abnormal therefore I should abstain from what makes you sick, is just selfish egotism.

[hehehoho]

I'm allergic to starfish.

Bummer once you've already paid 1000b.

Anyone who'd allow their children yet them should have the kids taken into care.

[PhilHarries]

Police and FDA agents did not find any guards at the factory during the raid,

Something ain't right or, as usual, the story has got lost in the telling.

No guards? What about other workers, management or even the owner? Or did they carry out the raid in the early hours of the morning when the owners were well out of it and had probably also warned the guards to take the night off.

Surely the right time for a raid is after some surveillance to ensure certain parties are present and during business hours.

But that's professional policing, an unknown skill in the Thai police force.

[warfie]

You idjits[sic] and your MSG fantasies are truly amusing.

Yes, some people are allergic to it.

Those people ought to take special care to avoid it.

People who have allergies to penicillin should not use penicillin.

People who are allergic to shellfish should avoid shellfish.

The rest of us are just fine, thank you.

The concept that YOUR body is abnormal therefore I should abstain from what makes you sick, is just selfish egotism.

<-- people are usually asked by their physician if they are allergic to penicillin before penicillin is prescribed -->

<--- People who are allergic to shellfish, tend to not order shellfish -->

You have half a point...

But what about simply including the fact that the product contains MSG?

Same As "this product may contain traces of peanuts"

Fair warning is is ok, no?

Who's the 'idjit'? perhaps the one who cannot even spell the word?

Thanks for the chuckle...

Edited June 2, 2011 by warfie

[rubl]

Well, well, what do you know? When a member here told me 'have a lollipop' I thought he was just being friendly

[Crushdepth]

MSG is a "natural" product made from seaweed so calling it "toxic" is a bit extreme. Some people may be allergic to it but that doesn't make it "toxic."

Everything is toxic, it's the dose that matters. Some of the *worst* toxins known to man are natural.

[Igor]

Who's the 'idjit'? perhaps the one who cannot even spell the word?

You're welcome for the chuckle. I hope it does not detract from your enjoyment to learn that "idjit" is a common slang word in American English. I invite you to peruse the Urban Dictionary if you need further enlightenment.

As for "half a point"? I don't understand where I failed since you said the same thing.

Allergic to penicillin? Don't take it.

Allergic to shellfish? Don't order it?

Allergic to MSG? Ask the restaurant if they use it? What? Are they gonna lie?

If they do, maybe you could get the lollipop police to raid them...

[laolover]

You idjits and your MSG fantasies are truly amusing.

Yes, some people are allergic to it.

Those people ought to take special care to avoid it.

People who have allergies to penicillin should not use penicillin.

People who are allergic to shellfish should avoid shellfish.

The rest of us are just fine, thank you.

The concept that YOUR body is abnormal therefore I should abstain from what makes you sick, is just selfish egotism.

happy that you are one of the rest of us and "just fine". Of course corn syrup is another "natural" product that I am sure you must greatly enjoy being an american "language" professor and all. Oh well, If you cant see it feel it or taste it I guess it doesnt exist. And yes I do remember my grandmother speaking the word "idjit" many times before she passed away 22 years ago at 86 years of age....maybe it was commonly in use with that generation, nice to hear it again after all these years! BTW you are in the right country for enjoying "poon chiroot" in nearly ALL street foods! Enjoy!

[maidu]

<br />Next, can we see some oversight by FDA for MSG and items using MSG? Though it's only toxic for a small % of the population, it's toxic nevertheless.<br />

<br /><br /><br /> Toxic, how exactly? Considering It is essential for humans to eat Glutomate and Sodium to survive. Throughout all of the (blind) studies none have proven any association between MSG and ill-effects even in studies of people who are convinced they suffer reactions to MSG. Thats none, ever.

MSG has been shown in clinical studies to cause brain problems - particularly in children. Is it a factor in the fact that Thai children average 83% on IQ tests? or that Thai students often score in the lowest percentile in regional standard tests? You can come to your own conclusions. MSG is a stimulant which speeds up the brain cell activity to a damaging degree. When I ingest it (unwittingly, in a Thai restaurant) I feel awful for hours afterwards. my pulse quickens and weakens, I get headaches, I get violent dreams. A farang friend gets numbness in his arms. Another gets an itchy skin rash. I'm in touch with v. few people here in Thailand, so if it happens to 2 of the 2 good friends I have here, that's 100% incidence of toxicity. How many others get toxic reactions from MSG each day in Thailand? Nobody knows. How many just get irritable, but don't know it's caused by MSG?

You idjits and your MSG fantasies are truly amusing.

Yes, some people are allergic to it.

Those people ought to take special care to avoid it.

People who have allergies to penicillin should not use penicillin.

People who are allergic to shellfish should avoid shellfish.

The rest of us are just fine, thank you.

The concept that YOUR body is abnormal therefore I should abstain from what makes you sick, is just selfish egotism.

I have allergies to pollen, so I know about allergic reactions. MSG is not allergic to me (or the others I know who get poisoned by it). However, it is toxic to some people. Not one restaurant in Thailand openly claims to use MSG, yet close to 100% use it. Even restaurants who claim to not use it, unwittingly use it, because the sauces they pour on the prepared food have it. They don't even give their customers the option to have it or not have it applied. Maybe I'm an Idjit (whatever that is), Igor, but I know MSG poisons me and close friends of mine who eat in Thai restaurants.

Did you know that MSG is forbidden to be applied when Thai officialdom hosts foreign dignitaries?

Ok, Igor, using your logic, "The rest of us are just fine, thank you." - do you then admit that some people might get adverse reactions from MSG? If even a small % get even mildly poisoned by it, then that alone is reason enough to ban its use.

Here's an analogy: Back in California, everyone I knew there got rashes from poison oak. I didn't. Should I then call everyone else pussies - because they couldn't pull the plants out of the ground by the roots like I did.

Edited June 3, 2011 by maidu

[Igor]

Ok, Igor, using your logic, "The rest of us are just fine, thank you." - do you then admit that some people might get adverse reactions from MSG? If even a small % get even mildly poisoned by it, then that alone is reason enough to ban its use.

Well, you threw in some unverifiable "statistics" and derived some shaky science (you have only TWO friendss so 100% incidence???) but I'll take your "analogy" and raise you one: I have a friend who is deathly allergic to tomatoes. If he eats one, it is likely he will die. There are others who are poisoned by tomatoes, too. By your logic, " If even a small % get even mildly poisoned..." by tomatoes. they should be banned. Do you see, then, how silly your position is?

You can do the googling yourself but the incidence of MSG sensitivity is usually estimnated at well under 1% of adults. Now, personally, I think that's high enough that food establishments should be required to notify customers if they use it but I don't think it should be banned for "normal" people any more than I think penicillin should be banned - which. by the way, has reported sensitivity indices as high as 10%!

Face it - somebody, somewhere, is allergic to almost everything in the world. If you need to go live in a plastic bubble, do so. Please stay out of my enjoyment of food, though.

[hehehoho]

Is it a factor in the fact that Thai children average 83% on IQ tests?

IQ tests are graded in % now? Perhaps yours were.

[steveyinasia]

Thanks Foodlover....you gave me the laugh of the morning