Did you know, Malaysia overtook Indonesia in 2009 as the world’s largest exporter of birds’ nests?
Malaysian exporters earn some US$3.3bn from their sales, 95 per cent of which go to China.
Now the industry is in turmoil over allegations that blood-red cubilose, the rarest edible bird’s nest, were dyed and contained excessive nitrate. The media in China have carried a number of reports on this.
A lot of money at stake and look what a couple of people have resorted to, as reported in Shanghai Daily:
TWO Malaysian men pretended to be government officials and held a press conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province on July 26 to refute allegations that bird’s nests from Malaysia were dyed and contained an excessive amount of nitrite, Beijing Times reported today.
The two men claimed to officials from the so-called export health ministry and the bureau of import and export of endangered animals. But investigation found there were no such government agencies in Malaysia.
Amazing what money – or the desire for money – can make some people do.
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As WalyG said, killing the golden goose. It is the same in all industries, business and administrative areas in general, due to the “logic” of capitalism. Unfortunately, once the golden goose of the natural habit (environment) is killed off, there is no recovery – at least fro humanity.
I never believe that bird nests have any nutritional or medicinal value.
I cannot understand why so many people in the world are sucked into this fallacy.
I guess when people become rich, they need to be ostentatious about their wealth.
Perhaps eating bird nests satisfies that ego.
The fake stuff must have been done or learnt in China itself, we’ll never know, they are the champions in things like this , remember the melamine in infant formula and fake eggs…
The swallows must be laughing!…all these years, these greedy nest hunters and growers have not given a thought of the swallow predicament that their nests removed to make someone richer…..
Maybe it is a good thing, as it will no longer be worth while to continue to sustain in the bird nest business. This will naturally solve the problem that the authorities have been unable to control
The greedy cheating the rich, social-conscious who don mind paying an exorbitant price for degenerated twigs to showcase their eccessive wealth. hahahha… The general population is safe. No prob!
Because of some greedy bird nest merchants in Malaysia, they are killing the golden goose with the toxic dyes.
Bird Nest claimed to make your skin smooth and minimise ageing wrinkles !
No wonder heritage Penang are pulling in more swiftlets than human tourists during Gerakan era, and present gomen seems to have a tough job to turn things around. Some old shophouses being turned into boutique hotels (rope walk/campbell st area) and bird nest owners may see the bigger potential to abandon bird nest breeding ?
Malaysia book of record should acknowledge Msia Boleh record in creating the first blood-red cubiloseeven China cannot imitate or clone !