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Children should learn safety early

"Products come from all over the world and are getting harder to regulate ... That's why children should be taught when they're still young how to differentiate between regulated and unregulated products."

Terry Huang, Consumer Foundation secretary-general

Learning how to differentiate between safe and unsafe products should start at an early age, the Consumers' Foundation said yesterday during an educational event at Jian-an Elementary School in Taipei.

The foundation said that children often end up buying snacks or food products which do not meet hygiene standards because they don't know any better.

Some vendors sell cookies or cakes that are moldy and long past their expiration dates, foundation chairman Jason Lee (李鳳翱) said.

Children should choose their snacks by first checking the labels for the expiration date and then the product itself to make sure that it has not changed color or become smelly, Lee said.

Many children's snacks are also high in calories and sodium, said Wen Tsui-chia (溫翠嘉), a foundation volunteer.

A package of potato or corn chips is roughly 500 to 600 calories, amounting to almost half the calories children need per day, Wen said.

In addition, the sodium level in a package of chips averages 2,000mg, when the amount of sodium needed per day for an average person is 2,400mg, Wen said.

Lee also reminded children to check for safety labels on toys before making a purchase. If a toy is found to be damaged, Lee said, both the seller and the foundation should be informed.

Foundation secretary-general Terry Huang (黃怡騰) said that many TV commercials do not give a truthful portrayal of products, and children are easily misled by the false information.

"Nowadays, products come from all over the world and are getting harder to control," Huang said. "That's why children should be taught when they're still young how to differentiate between regulated and unregulated products."

The foundation will hold a "Little Consumers Winter Camp" for children on Jan. 23 and 25, hoping to bring product-safety education to elementary-school children.
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