Dirk

Ever since Dirk posted an entry regarding food items made in China, it has become an even bigger topic of conversation between my mother and I. Last night she came out of the bathroom with a tube of Colgate. I told her that Colgate was safe. Like I have said many times in my entries, “mother is always right!” The last paragraph is very sad. It shows that whoever is distributing tainted Colgate knows we don't read labels. My question is how do you know where your product is made when the label reads, “Manufactured for?”

Contaminated Fake Toothpaste Now Found in 6 States, Canada
Sunday, July 01, 2007

WASHINGTON — Counterfeit Colgate toothpaste has now turned
up in Canada, where testing has found dangerous bacteria but not the poisonous chemical previously detected in four U.S. states, a health official said Saturday.

In addition, store owners and police say they have discovered
that the bogus Colgate was sold in Michigan and Virginia.

The FDA warned earlier in June that fake Colgate distributed in Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania may contain a poisonous chemical called diethylene glycol, or DEG, that typically is used in antifreeze. That toothpaste was the subject of a June 13 recall by a New Jersey distributor.

It was not immediately clear if the counterfeit products in Pinconning, Mich., and Arlington, Va., had been tested for DEG.

In Canada, testing did not find the chemical but did show high levels of harmful bacteria, said Paul Duchesne, a spokesman for Health Canada.

A Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman said Saturday she was checking into reports of the wider distribution beyond the first four states.

The bacteria pose a significant health risk, especially to children and
anyone with a weakened immune system, Health Canada said. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating.

In all cases, the toothpaste was labeled as made in South Africa. Both the FDA and New York-based Colgate-Palmolive Co. have said the products are fake, citing in part misspellings — "SOUTH AFRLCA" is one — on the packaging. Its true origin is unknown, according to the FDA.