Jolly Cow, Melamine, and More on the Milk Scare

As many of you know, Jolly Cow Slender milk has tested positive for Melamine.  Only the “slender” product tested positive–Jolly Cow Fresh milk has apparently tested negative.  Fly Ace (the Philippines distributor) has pulled all Jolly Cow Slender from shelves and is only selling New Zealand products.  You can read their official statement here.

That makes three brands which have tested positive, but the other two were illegally smuggled into the Philippines.

I actually drank some of that before-mentioned milk a few weeks ago.  I didn’t have any problems, other than a third arm which mysteriously sprouted between my shoulders (yes, that’s a joke). 

We do need to test everything for Melamine, but I want to put things in perspective:

*Protecting children (especially infants) needs to be the main concern.  They drink more milk relative to body mass, and they have smaller (and thus more vulnerable) kidneys.

*The brand I drank tested 4 parts per million.  Some of the tainted products in China tested 6,196 parts per million.

Looking for safe milk products for your children?  Here are the ones that have tested negative for melamine. 

1.  Anmum Materna Milk Powder Chocolate Flavor (400g)
2.  Bear Brand Choco (300g)
3.  Bear Brand Sterilized Milk (200ml)
4.  Cadbury Choclairs
5.  Carnation Calcium Plus Non-fat Milk Powder
6.  Klim Instant Full Cream Milk Powder
7.  Milk Chocolate Bar (40g)
8.  Monmilk Breakfast Milk Walnut Milk Beverage
9.  Monmilk Hi-calcium Low fat milk (1L)
10. Monmilk Deluxe Pure Milk
11.  Nestle Chocolate Flavor Ice cream
12. Nestle Dairy Farm Pure Milk
13. Nestle Fresh Milk (1L)
14. Nestle Kitkat
15. Nestle Milk chocolate (40g)
16. Nestle Pops Ice cream
17. Nestle Vanilla Flavor Ice cream
18. Nestogen 1 DHA
19. Nesvita Cereal Milk Drink
20. Blue Tree Express Milk Drink or Green Apple Flavor (500ml)
21. Prime Roast Instant Nutritious Cereal (28g)

Related Post:

Pirated Milk

Trashed Trophies

“Fame is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”
– Napoleon

I’m sure many of you have heard of Dr. James Dobson.  He’s the author of numerous books, the founder of Focus on the Family, and is one of the most well known evangelical leaders in America.  His ministry has blessed my life, and his thoughts have influenced my own writing.

I’ll never forget a story that goes back to Dobson’s college years:

As a college freshman, Dobson set his heart on winning his school’s tennis tournament.   He achieved that goal—twice.  A trophy inscribed with his name was put on display so that all could see what he had accomplished.  I imagine he proudly smiled every time we walked by that trophy case.

Years later, a friend sent the before-mentioned trophy to Dobson.  He had found it sitting in the school’s garbage bin.  The tennis tournament and its winner had been long forgotten.

Dobson often tells this story to students, concluding with this thought:  “Given enough time, life will trash your trophies.” 

How true this is!  Most of our achievements, no matter how great, will be quickly forgotten.

Paul used a similar analogy in his letter to the Corinthians:

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
-1st Corinthians 9:24-25

As I’ve explained before, Paul was referring to the Isthmian games—similar to our modern-day Olympics.  Those who wanted to compete underwent intense physical training just to qualify as a contestant. The winner only received a pine wreath and a few moments of glory (I’m not sure which would be the first to fade).

Modern-day athletics, of course have come a long way since then.  We now live in a time of gold medals, television coverage, and multi-million dollar endorsements.  But these spoils, grandiose as they may be, are just as temporal as a pine wreath or a tennis trophy.

Paul contrasted such temporary rewards with the “eternal prize.”  For Paul, preaching the gospel and winning souls for Jesus was the only cause worth giving his life for.

I’m not trying to discourage you from achieving goals (athletic or otherwise).  But I do want to challenge you to live with an eternal perspective in mind.  Are you investing your life in temporary trophies or in timeless treasure?