Cashing in on kids is hardly a new concept. But in China, the public now stands on the verge of outcry. Imported prams can cost thousands of renminbi, but the battle lines are today being drawn around a more humble product; noodles.
At the crux of the scandal is the fact that many items for sale today with the word “baby” on them are much more expensive than those without. It’s a consumption trap into which many easily fall, and one found increasingly all over the country.
In our very own Jiangsu Province, Suqian-based Xichu.net has cited that City’s local radio and TV station as reporting 100 grams of dried infant noodles selling for the colossal price of ¥48. For our more imperially-minded readers, that’s US$6.70 for just 3.5 ounces.
Mr. Ding, a citizen in that City in northern Jiangsu, said, “Maybe there is a reason for the high price of baby products, like they are made of better materials. But I think some have had added the word ‘baby’ in order to make more profit. It’s a bit unreasonable”.
With those prices sounding excessive to say the least, The Nanjinger popped into its local Suguo yesterday, 29 January, to check in on the cost of infant noodles in our neck of the woods. The result was that there is indeed a very big difference in price, although not as extreme as has been reported in Suqian.
In Nanjing, a 280 gram pack of infant wheat flour noodles is priced at ¥14.90, while 1 kilogram of ordinary noodles goes for as little as ¥8.59. That makes the infant variety six times more expensive on a cost-per-gram basis. It’s also twice as expensive than imported spaghetti, which Suguo at present prices at ¥13.89 for 500 grams for one particular brand.
On the face of it, China can be a lawless place when it comes to the exploitation of vulnerable groups. But that’s changing. In the infant world, the country has issued a number of national standards in the fields of baby nappies and pacifiers. which have helped to improve product quality and address safety concerns.
However, there is still a lack of corresponding standards for other infant products, including children’s food. Some are not specifically designed therefor, but still include selling points such as “suitable for infants and young children” in order to create fake demand.
Until standards for such are also implemented, the public is encouraged to pay attention to considerations such as product materials, standards and ingredients from the perspectives of both safety and practicality.
