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SINGAPORE : In Singapore, consumer confidence in China-made products has taken a hit, following the melamine-tainted milk scandal.
Sales of Chinese foodstuff in some shops have fallen by more than half while some traditional Chinese medicine shops said business is down 20 per cent.
"(There's) no confidence any more. I'm now looking carefully at everything that's made in China," said one Singapore resident.
Another agreed: "(I've) lost confidence because it has happened many times. I prefer the Australian and American products."
"I have no qualms about buying Chinese products, but as far as health is concerned, I will be careful. Milk-based products are something that I will lay off," said a third.
Singapore's Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it has received some 600 emails and another 630 phone calls to its hotline on the safety aspects of China milk over the last three days.
But the two major supermarket chains in Singapore said their overall sales volumes have not been adversely affected following the removal of milk products from China.
According to NTUC FairPrice, China products make up a small portion of its total product offerings, hence it has not seen significant change to overall sales.
Cold Storage supermarket said the affected range constituted less than 1 per cent of its total range, and added that there is no significant impact on sales.
Cold Storage said that like FairPrice, it too has alternative sources which have been approved by AVA.
Meanwhile, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said it has received three enquiries from consumers with regards to the tainted milk incident. - CNA /ls
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