notwoxer (An RB Amero Blog)

GSK Malaysia's Za Tahir called me up yesterday afternoon, apologising that she was not able to reply to my email earlier. I had asked GSK's position on independent testing of the Vitamin C content of their local and imported Ribena packs, as well as several other issues. Za was stuck in Putrajaya (for a meeting I presume), and asked if she could "articulate a response" later in the evening. I agreed, and about 7:30pm I received her email. Excerpts: FYI, occasionally the Ministry of Health conduct post market surveillance on our products. Hence, we are open to an independent laboratory testing for Ribena. We confirm that Ribena Concentrate contain the stated levels of Vitamin C, as described on the product label It is heartening to know that they are not secretive of their products; it is a mark of a consumer driven company, although I speak only of the Malaysian operations. Truth is, no matter how you look at it, the case in New Zealand and Australia may prove to be ...

An anonymous comment left on my immediate previous post on this whole Vitamin C brou-ha-ha reminded me of my marketing school days; that USP that we look for can be so strong that people buy into the USP blindly, forgetting that the very USP we buy a product for may actually be available elsewhere. GSK positioned that blackcurrants contain more Vitamin C than oranges - this statement alone can be viewed and internalised from many angles. But only two fruits are in this equation; no problem there, and the claim is supported by a weigh-for-weight debate. But did you realise that Vitamin C is also obtained from your good old spinach, broccoli as well as red and green peppers (yummy!). A Harvard School of Public Health article I found says this: Excellent food sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits or citrus juices, berries, green and red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and spinach. Left: Harvard School of Public Health Longwood Campus (from Wikipedia) The article says about 200 to 300mg of...

I have decided to pursue this matter further with GSK, following valid comments from visitors to my site. I have asked GSK to state their stand on several issues, the key one being their openness in allowing an independent laboratory to conduct content tests on the locally and imported ready-to-drink Ribena variants available in Malaysia. Like you and I, I am sure GSK would like to put this issue to rest as soon as possible so that all parties can move along. I expect GSK to reply as promptly as they did the first query, for which I thanked them via email. Kudos to them. We wait... and to kill time, see the picture of the two girls that floored a multinational from a school lab in this story. Australian and New Zealand Vitamin C lack quality? Well, you might think so if you read the story in the link above; "the problem arose when Ribena in Australia and New Zealand was left on shop shelves for too long, causing the vitamin C to degrade". I was never that good in science, bu...

As promised, GSK Malaysia has made an official statement. The email is from Azariah Tahir, the statement is by her boss. Encik Amir, Thank you for your email and please find below as requested. GSK MALAYSIA GIVES ASSURANCE ON VITAMIN C LEVELS IN RIBENA As reported in the press, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare in New Zealand (GSK-CH) has accepted charges brought by the New Zealand Commerce Commission (NZCC) and has given undertakings to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) with regards to potentially misleading advertising statements and low levels of Vitamin C in some Ribena Ready-to-Drink products manufactured for the Australia and New Zealand markets. GSK Malaysia has conducted thorough laboratory testing of Vitamin C levels in Ribena. This testing has confirmed that Ribena in Malaysia contain the stated levels of Vitamin C, as described on product labels. GSK would like to reassure its consumers in Malaysia that the issues discussed with the ACCC and NZCC on...

Imagine my surprise when I opened screenshots this morning to find my favourite drink, Ribena - well, the manufacturers, really - being labeled a liar, much like us Malaysian bloggers. Sheesh... I thougt I had to investigate, as Aishah, Khadijah and I love the stuff! I even promo the stuff when people say I don't look my age, "It's the Ribena dude..." would be my immediate reply. From www.gsk.com.my: Ribena was first made in the 30s using blackcurrants and has since become one of the most popular drinks around today. During World War II, it was used as a dietary supplement for Vitamin C. Ribena now comes in a variety of flavours, but blackcurrant is without a doubt everyone’s favourite and contains four times as much vitamin C as oranges. It is a natural beverage containing no artificial flavour, colouring or sweeteners. In fact Ribena ToothKind, which was launched in 1998, is the only drink accredited by the British Dental Association and has been proven to help m...