Thai Health Ministry warns of increasing use of formalin by vendors at fresh markets

[Gandtee]

".... the penalty imposed on vendors and/or their wholesale suppliers would be: 20,000 baht OR 2 years in jail..."

If the above is true, and then ENFORCED, it would probably be a deterrent.

When the cow jumps over the moon.

[Asiantravel]

I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

Really?

And even if you give credit to the standards in Thailand compared to China, how many here believe that

Thailand is miles ahead of China regarding enforcement of environmental standards ?

organic certification does nothing to address environmental sources of pollution such as chemtrails, contaminated irrigation water, and fallout from industrial or chemical factories that might be nearby. A certified organic farmer can use polluted water on their crops and still have the crops labeled "organic."

http://www.naturalnews.com/039195_organic_foods_China_pollution_nightmare.html#

[Andre0720]

I got real sick eating large shrimps some years ago in Kata. Formalin...

Stayed away from shrimps for a few years....

Those big expensive ones....

If not sold on that first day....they just add a bit of freshener....

I am just curious how you could be sure it was formalin. I am not challenging you. I just want to know if there is a practical way to check for the stuff. After all, seafood goes off quickly in the Thai heat, so If I got sick from eating some, I would assume it was bad food.

''He said consumers of food with high formalin content will experience severe headache, chest pains and stomachache, vomiting and diarrhea.''

The symptoms were a clear indicative....

I looked at the shrimps. Looked very fresh. I just questioned the colour around the head. The lady said it was normal.

I was so sick, could not sleep all night, certainly does not come from fresh food.

If it was bad food, it would show and smell. Formalin hides everything...

[ikke]

You could live on imported crisps and still be healthier than if you lived on some of the fruit and veg here. Some of the greens have 202x the safe EU limit of pesticides, and they include pesticides that are banned around the world for being too toxic even in trace amounts, and that is dangerous even before the formalin etc. is added. Regulation of food safety is a critically important issue here that needs to be prioritised by whichever party gets to wear the shiny hat for a few years. The toxins are especially dangerous to young children, who paradoxically of course need more fruit and veg for their growing bodies. This, along with roads, driving-standards, railways, bridges, water-supervision etc. fall under the same public safety regulation umbrella which is desperately neglected by the political players here. There needs to be less focus on wrestling control of the reins of power, and much more focus on establishing safety regulations when you are holding the reins of power. It won't happen anytime soon, not until a serious political party arrives. The problem Thailand will face is that infants are eating these toxins every day, and will grow up as a sick workforce requiring medical attention and unable to operate at a competitive level compared to nations that regulate products to protect citizens' health.

I agree fully, but to change it with just another political party would be far to easy, the Thai FDA is worth nothing, as it is all corruption, also the FDA numbers on all food items is just one big corruption scandal , you can buy the numbers , sell any poison you want, but if you want sell an imported product which is produced following the highest food safety standards, you have to pay and pay to get it into the market .....

[Bpuumike]

Sounds like some local beers use it too.

And for sure the side effects are the same

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Klosters beer used it back in the '80's.

[edwinchester]

I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

A while ago my Thai wife went on a Healthy Living seminar organised by PEA. One of the other attendees was an 'organic' farmer who showed no shame in describing how easy it is to pass off non-organic food as organic.

The easiest method was to pay for the certification and to be forwarned of any inspections.

I for one am very dubious of anything that claims to be organic here.

Edited February 25, 2014 by edwinchester

[BeforeTigers]

Oh, they do that on purpose?

Wow. That's pretty fkn evil then, isn't it.

If you have to poison your customers to make a buck, you deserve to be broke.

[BeforeTigers]

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I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

A while ago my Thai wife went on a Healthy Living seminar organised by PEA. One of the other attendees was an 'organic' farmer who showed no shame in describing how easy it is to pass off non-organic food as organic.
The easiest method was to pay for the certification and to be forwarned of any inspections.
I for one am very dubious of anything that claims to be organic here.

I straight out do not trust anything that requires official documents, of any kind, ever.

Following that horrible incident with the woman being crushed in a lift revently, the elevator in my building got a new flyer inside, assuring residents that the machinery had been checked over by the building's "mechanic" (I assume this is the handyman that fixes hinges and broken window latches). Right next to this flyer; the official inspection document that clearly shows we are nearly a year past due for certification.

The wild wild east is such a romatic way of saying; you might die for a really stupid boring reason.

[Crushdepth]

printing a sign saying " organic" takes 30 seconds and some people will pay 3 times the price of goods upon seeing that sign. Without regulation it's meaningless. Of course Dr Narong doesn't seem to have done anything about the issue of food safety . His mind must be elsewhere

The last survey I saw showed frequent pesticide contamination in "organic" vegetables being sold in supermarkets. And every electrical appliance in the country has a 5 star energy rating sticker.

[thailandbeachisland]

I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

Just pushing the paranoïa a bit further:

How do you know the labeled organic veggies at Rimping are actually organic?

Greed may be even more tempting at this "level of purity".

We cannot know and this is why it might be useless to buy anything organic especially in this country...

Here is a list of what we should buy organic at least:

http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/organic_natural/dirty_dozen_plus_14_foods_you_should_buy_organic

[DrTuner]

Thailand is full of agencies that are supposed to control things like these. It's the enforcement that is failing and everybody who's spent any time in the amazing Thailand knows why. It begins with the people.

[Thai at Heart]

"He said formalin is a solution containing 40% formaldehyde."

And...It never crosses his mind to create legislation which would effectively ban the use of formalin and enact heavy penelties for those who use it? It's amazaing how Thais appear to be so proud of their nationality, yet do nothing to protect its citizens. Many of the health legislation is only for show with no teeth for enforcement. 2000 baht fine for smoking tobacco in a publc place? When was the last time you saw anyone asked to stop smoking, let alone fined for breaking that law? Underage drinking and operating motor vehicles? Both are flaunted in public and in front of law enforcement officers with no action taken to stop either one. Domestic violence? Many Thai men wear spousal abuse as a badge of honor.

Thais seem to be disappointed that they do not receive the respect from the international community which they think they deserve. How can they expect respect from outsiders when they don't respect, protect and educate their own?

Thai civil servants and pooyais are commentators not leaders. They only intervene when there is money to be made.

[Thai at Heart]

I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

Really?

And even if you give credit to the standards in Thailand compared to China, how many here believe that

Thailand is miles ahead of China regarding enforcement of environmental standards ?

organic certification does nothing to address environmental sources of pollution such as chemtrails, contaminated irrigation water, and fallout from industrial or chemical factories that might be nearby. A certified organic farmer can use polluted water on their crops and still have the crops labeled "organic."

http://www.naturalnews.com/039195_organic_foods_China_pollution_nightmare.html#

On food?

Well a certain thai company is front and centre of the market in both china and thailand.

U know apparently thai companies aren't ready to compete hence why foreign companies must find partners. It makes it so much easier to pay the bribes being a thai company.

[WitawatWatawit]

I use frozen veg a lot of the time, but if I buy fresh, I soak in vinegar and water for about an hour and rinse them very thoroughly. Here's a link with tips.

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/clean-fruits-vegetables-vinegar-8777.html

[MilesofSmiles]

So, what's the best (or even a good) way to remove this stuff, from vegies?

I saw potassium permanganate mentioned in the nation article.

Just soak in tap water for a while, or should I use purified water for that too?

If it's not good enough to drink, soaking food in it must carry some of the same risks.

[DrTuner]

Best way to clean veggies is to filter them through edible animals such as rabbits.