Image of “Made-in-China” products takes a beating

It is common knowledge that if one wants to buy any cheap item, go for made-in-China product. It will be cheap and will look bright and sleek. You don’t look for quality in those cheap products. Markets around the world are flooded with Chinese products. How a quality conscious country like US and UK can fall for these tactics and import Chinese made products? First, it was toys and jewellery for children, which is now followed by children’s garments. Toxic materials such as lead, cadmium were found in paints used in the toys and jewellery quantities in excess of the safe amounts. It is reported that the children’s clothes contained dangerous levels of formaldehyde.

The Chinese made cheap products are also seen in Indian, rural and urban markets. The difference in the prices is very large. So everybody is tempted to buy the products. The Indian government should wake up to this reality and regulate the import and marketing of all Chinese made products. The Indian consumer should be made aware of the quality requirements of the consumables through media such as television. There is a ministry to deal with consumer affairs! Come on, do something. Tell the public what the ministry is doing. Just recalling the products from the markets by the manufacturer is not enough.