Loud and clear…

I was born a British subject by virtue of the fact that Sarawak was at the time a British colony and during that time, we used to get imported stuff from the UK. I remember how I enjoyed those Nice biscuits from Huntley & Palmers but unfortunately, we do not get anything from them anymore these days. It had been quite a while since I last had any Nice biscuits and the other day, my girl spotted these at a supermarket here (RM7.90)…

No, they’re from Australia, the other side of the world and yes, I do recall the sugar coating…

…but somehow or other, I was not really impressed by this one. I don’t know but maybe we were so deprived in those days that it seemed so very nice or perhaps, things today are not longer like what they used to be.

One thing I particularly like about these imported products is how they tell you exactly what they contain…

…and they highlight the offensive ingredients in bold for the benefit of those who may be allergic to them.

You can see another example here on a carton of the imported Australian milk…

…that I am drinking right now…and here, it states in no uncertain terms that it contains full cream milk…

…and nothing else.

On the other hand, let’s look at this packet of noodles (RM9.90)…

…made in Bukit Mertajam, Penang that I bought at another supermarket here that day. I do know for a fact that millet is ok for those who are gluten sensitive/intolerant and the name of the product is the only clue as to what they are made of. Now, the question is…what else? We haven’t the slightest idea as nothing is mentioned in that little label. I thought there is a ruling that the ingredients must be specified in all manufactured food products? I even logged into their website to see what I could find there – nothing! Seeing that we are not entirely sure whether it is safe for my girl or not, in the end, we decided that it would be best for her not to consume it.

Going back to the milk, these days, I will usually buy this one from New Zealand…

*Archive photo*

…at RM5 something a carton. It certainly makes a lot more sense buying this instead of the Malaysian-made UHT milk that may set you back by some RM7 or RM8 a carton. Just the other day, I noticed that the New Zealand one was on offer – RM4.90 only a carton but I had already bought a box of the Australian one…

…at another supermarket, also selling at RM4.90 a carton.

A long long time ago when this brand first hit the shelves here, it was only RM1.00 a carton…and people would cart boxes and boxes home including those from Kuching. Not only was it cheap, they said but it was much nicer and creamier than our local ones.

After sometime, they changed their packaging and it looked like this…

*Archive photo*

…and now, they have changed the packaging again…with a new easier-to-open cap…

…than the ring that they had before and also the thin aluminium foil that we find in other brands, so thin that it is quite a chore to get the loose end out.

No, as you can see from the expiry date, they are not going cheap because it is almost due, and probably it is a lot cheaper than in Australia itself, after conversion. You can’t blame me for not supporting our own Malaysian industries, can you?