Hall-staying students who are unafraid of the recent tainted-milk scandal will be disappointed if they have a sudden craving for White Rabbit Creamy Candies.
This is because the sweet—along with eight other brands of China-made dairy products—have already been pulled from all of the major provision shops and F&B stalls in the university that the Enquirer visited.
According to the Office of Facilities Planning & Management (OFPM), a check was conducted on all the F&B tenants in NTU on September 24th to ensure that store shelves were clear of the eight melamine-tainted items that were listed on the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore’s (AVA) website then.
The list of contaminated food products found in Singapore has since grown to ten, according to the latest press release by the AVA.
Currently, stalls have adopted different measures to appease customers. For example, while the Nanyang Supermarket has left non-dairy Chinese products untouched, the mart in The Quad took an extra step—no Chinese products can be found at all.
However, it is difficult to define which products should be shelved—and which should not. According to a recent Straits Times report, while some of Wall’s ice-cream are indeed manufactured in China, manufacturer Unilever said that the dairy products used are in fact sourced elsewhere.
Sitting at the office of the Nanyang Supermarket is businessman Mr Ng Sui Nam—who is in his sixties. Lying in a pile beside his desk are cartons of China-made dairy products that have been recalled, which included packets of M&Ms and bottles of Dutch Lady Milk. Besides Nanyang Supermarket, Mr Ng also owns convenience stores at the Café by the Quad and in Canteen 14.
Even before the OFPM reminded them to remove the potentially contaminated products, Mr Ng’s stores had already done so on their own accord.
“We try to make sure that no China-made dairy products from our suppliers ever made it onto the shelves. Besides, who would want to risk being slapped with a $10,000 fine?” he said, referring to the penalty under Singapore Law for anyone caught selling unwholesome foods. The Supermarket has also exchanged tainted products that have been returned—even half-consumed bottles of milk.
Mr Ng went on to further explain how despite a retailer’s best efforts, it was actually a matter of too little, too late. He said: “The root of the problem always lies with the manufacturer. While they may say that their ingredients are not from China, who can be sure if they’re honest?”
Bioengineering masters student Chen Li Han, who owns Summer Frost, an ice-cream stall in Canteen 2, told the Enquirer that no OFPM personnel has approached him or his staff about the China milk scandal. But he has ensured several worried customers that they have never used any China-made dairy products since the stall began operating nine months ago.
Mr Suhaimi Rahmat, 44, manager of Caffe Express, said: “We go the extra mile of reassuring them that all our dairy products are imported from Thailand and Indonesia by bringing the stuff out to show them,” he added. The business has also put up a notice at its storefront, giving a list of all the dairy products they use and their country of origin.
Retailers which the Enquirer spoke to also attested that few students would take the extra step to question what are on the shelves, but they would often check the labels before buying the products.
Said Mr Eddie Lin, a second-year chemical and biological engineering student: “If I buy, I will check. You can’t be complacent that such shops will not hold contaminated products.”
However, part-time linguistics lecturer Gloria Puedjosoedarmo, who was sipping coffee at Caffe Express, does not think much of the scandal, as she trusts the government to do its job. In fact, when she was asked about the possible contamination of dairy products on campus, she said: “I haven’t actually thought about it!”
While F&B tenants have generally been vigilant, “Made in China” dairy products can still be found on at least one F&B tenant in NTU, despite checks by the OFPM.
At The Sun, a convenience store located near the Nanyang Executive Centre, a few China-made packets of M&Ms and Snickers were found on store shelves.
But supervisor Ms Olivia Tay, who is in her thirties, gave the reassurance that the OFPM had already given her the all-clear, and that she had made a conscious effort to check her shelves, even before the officers came to her shop.
“I’ve called my shop assistant to do another check, but it’s really an unintentional mistake on our part,” she said.
While the chocolate brands from Mars Incorporated are not on the AVA’s list of melamine-tainted products, the authority has advised retailers to recall all China-made dairy products until investigations are complete.
And until the scandal blows over, some students are not taking any chances.
For second-year environmental engineering student Eugene Tan, the best solution is to take no risk at all. He currently avoids buying all China-made products—dairy or not, and his family had dumped all China-made foodstuff that were sitting in his home.
“You can’t be too sure with anything China-made nowadays,” he said.
If you like this story, please consider making a donation to help further the Enquirer's cause.
