I wrote last night about our delicate food supply and how easy it would be for imported food to be messed with. Lo and behold, a New York Times article today talks in great length about tainted ingredients in cough medicine that has caused thousands of deaths around the world.

Toxic syrup has figured in at least eight mass poisonings around the world in the past two decades. Researchers estimate that thousands have died. In many cases, the precise origin of the poison has never been determined. But records and interviews show that in three of the last four cases it was made in China, a major source of counterfeit drugs. NYT Link

A rigorous quality control program could have prevented these deaths. There are procedures of a quality control program that should have been in place. They include certificates of analysis for ingredients, in house testing of ingredients, auditing suppliers, to archiving sample sof ingredients in case there are problems later. Too many companies are only in business for the almighty dollar and not investing in a quality control program. This is foolish as you can lose your whole business through one major recall.