5 replies to this topic

[Hongyun]

This cigarette butt, marked with Chinese characters that show it's Chinese origin, was found in a bag of 'Xia Ku Cao' herbs from Eu Yan Sang by STOMPer Roy. Shocked by his disgusting find the STOMPer wrote: "I found this discarded cigarette butt in a bag of 'Xia Ku Cao' herbs from Eu Yan Sang. "In one of the photos, you can clearly see some Chinese characters on the filter. I believe that means that the cigarette butt originated from China.

"Most people regard Eu Yan Sang as one of the most trusted brands for traditional Chinese medicine. "Eu Yan Sang has a long list of awards on their website and even acquired ISO certification in 2002 in recognition of their excellent manufacturing practices and quality control. This means many consumers will assume it's totally safe to consume products from Eu Yan Sang.

"I have been a loyal customer of theirs for a very long time and, until now, have put total trust in their products. "With so many food scandals involving China last year however, this incident must not be taken lightly. "I expect Eu Yan Sang to step up their quality control in their overseas factories, especially since many of their ingredients are sourced from China. "This incident has taught me to be more careful, even when consuming products from a trusted brand from Singapore."

Eu Yan Sang's response: We are re-examining every pack of Xia Ku Cao herbs, says Eu Yan Sang


http://singaporeseen...nt.jsp?id=50010

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[Hongyun]

A little info on the herb for those not familiar with it:

Prunella is a genus of seven species of herbaceous plants in the family Lamiaceae, also known as self-heals or "allheal" for their use in herbal medicine. Most are native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but Prunella vulgaris (the Common Self-heal) is Holarctic in distribution, occurring in North America as well, and is a common lawn weed.

Habitat

Self-heals are low-growing plants, and thrive in moist wasteland and grass, spreading rapidly to cover the ground. They are members of the mint family and have the square stem common to mints.

Medicinal uses

The common name "self-heal" derives from the use of some species to treat a range of minor disorders. It is reported to have an antiseptic and antibacterial effect, and to be particularly good in cases of food poisoning. In the Pacific Northwest, its juice was used by the Quinault and the Quileute on boils. They also used the whole plant to treat cuts and inflammations. Ointments can be made by fixing the plant with grease. Dried Prunella (Mandarin: 夏枯草 xia4 ku1 cao3; Cantonese: (Yale) hah5 fu1 chou2, (IPA) ha21 fu55 tsou23) is used to make a herbal drink to help restore the body to a natural state after eating too many fried foods. It is also used in the treatment of high blood pressure.

While most of the traditional uses are of unknown (and clinically untested) efficacy, Prunella vulgaris has been shown to be an antioxidant, immune stimulant, viral replication inhibitor and an anti-inflammatory agent.

The mildly bitter leaves are also good as salad greens.

Prunella species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora albitarsella.

Self-heal can be grown from seed, or divide clumps in spring or autumn.

http://en.wikipedia....runella_(plant)

[Suzuki]

My sympathy goes to Eu Yan Sang for the negative impact this incident would definitely have on its brand trust. I wonder if the enormous savings on labour cost still justifies the relocation of food processing facilities to China and how can it continue to remain economically viable these days given the number of food safety incidences that had already occurred to date.

It just goes to show that being ISO certified does not verify the validity of the food safety system when the cooperations, commitment and training competency of the line operators / supervisors are compromised. I guess in a way, Eu Yang San has to take its share of the stick for letting this happened.

[elias.loisos]

Is this an isolated incident or has this happend before with Eu Yan?

[Hongyun]

Not that i can recall any similar incidents before. This brand is quite a reputable brand in Singapore on Chinese herbs.

HACCP and ISO certs are just papers if we don't enforce it. Which is the problem with many companies. They sought for the certification to get more business, and then neglect the procedures until when the audit is near..

[elias.loisos]

HACCP and ISO certs are just papers if we don't enforce it. Which is the problem with many companies. They sought for the certification to get more business, and then neglect the procedures until when the audit is near..

Unfortunately I have to agree,

Even during audits many organizations spend to much time reviewing documentation and to little operations IMO