…in-for-mation
Is there no honour even among milkmen? It’s been over forty years since the international outrage at the Swiss conglomerate Nestle’s foisting substandard “baby formula” on the Third World as a substitute for mothers’ breast milk. And spending God knows how much on advertising to convince the natives they were “modern”.
Millions and millions of mothers jumped on Nesle’s fake-milk bandwagon just to show off to their neighbours down the (dusty) street. And that’s never really stopped, has it? Even though the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced an International Code of Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes, that’s been observed more in the breech than anything else. And also even though most countries – like Guyana – have launched awareness programmes on the benefits of Breast milk. For instance, the latter has antibodies that protect the baby – until their immune system’s fully developed.
Containers of breast-milk substitutes should clearly state “Breast milk is best for babies”. But how many such labels have you seen? And the Third World still is flooded with the stuff that doesn’t comply with the requirements as to what constitutes Breast milk substitutes.
Take the recall the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department, (GAFDD) of International Pharmaceutical Agency’s (IPA) so-called infant formula brought in from France. Seems what tipped off the GAFDD was that the milk wasn’t sold in its country of origin.
For once our bureaucrats were on the ball – and had issued regulations that we cannot import such items.
Makes sense, doesn’t it? If it’s not good for them, why should it be good for us? It’s not as if we’re Guinea pigs, are we? So the government doesn’t have to do a darned thing about the owner Lloyd Singh’s whining that it’s OK to replace the fat that’s supposed to make the milk “complete”, with vegetable oils. Yep! The stuff you use to fry your chicken!
Well, old Lloydie was being more than a bit economical with the truth. Seems you CAN use vegetable oils as a substitute – but they’re not all interchangeable. Lloydie left out the info about which oil he used! To the poor baby’s digestive system, coconut oil’s quite different nutritionally from say, soy oil. So the fact that Lloydie didn’t have the type of vegetable oils used on the label, is another strike against his product.
But Lloydie isn’t your milkman from down the road who’s watering down his goods. This is the fella who Vice President Ramjattan boasted was his friend. Built the AFC’s headquarters!
And more to the point just bid for a .9 billion contract for pharmaceuticals. Let’s all hope he doesn’t repeat his “spoiled milk” gambit.
…Pro-tec-tion
Seems our goodly Minister of Public Security just brushed off the Berbice Chambers of Commerce’s invitation to visit his native county to discuss the latest spiralling crime wave. Told them he was “too busy” with the Jubilee preparations. Really? Well what exactly is he doing that has him with a ball and chain in Georgetown?
The only activity your Eyewitness recalls him being involved with Jubilee-wise, was his promise to look into relaxing his 2am curfew on Bars during the Independence week. Did he interpret “look into” to mean visiting every bar in Georgetown to poll their opinion on the subject? Well…duh! He already knows the answer there!
Or is he composing that paper on the connection between the time of bar closures and crime rates? The PSC had asked for this. But more to the point: isn’t Ramjattan worried he’s just ensuring he and the AFC become “dead meat” like he feared when the union with APNU was first broached?
…mave-rick union
Even though he’s pigmentally challenged, your Eyewitness is tickled pink at the news all our trade unions are going to march together in unity come this Labour Day. Solidarity forever!
But is the Teacher’s Union really gonna listen to Pressie? Don’t they have a point to make?
