Our country has made great strides in the industrial sector, including the manufacture of foods and pharmaceuticals. At the same time, we have failed to develop a basic awareness that should accompany our rapid industrial progress. The awareness which we lack is that despite automation and precision in manufacturing, there are still human errors. The machines are only as good or as accurate as the humans who control them. An error may occur in a factory or production line which results in a poor quality product. Such products should be withdrawn from sale if faults are detected after marketing.
Our failure to grasp the possibility of manufacturing errors is common not only with consumers but also with both authorities and manufacturers. In fact, the old practice of never publicizing a product’s defects has led consumers to believe that manufacturers are infallible. The danger in such an attitude is that when a defect is found in a product, it may trigger a scandal that is a death knell for the company. Thus the manufacturers are understandably terrified of transparency in regard to manufacturing defects. The lack of transparency concerning defective foods, drinks and medicines might in the end result in death. Both manufacturers and consumers seem unaware that it is precisely because of possible defects that there is a need for monitoring agencies and quality control inspections in our country or in any other.
Human or mechanical error is understandable in one of the Kingdom’s large industrial sectors such as pharmaceutical manufacturing. A few plants produce thousands of varieties of medicines and error is a real possibility. Error is also possible in the food sector in which hundreds of companies manufacture thousands of products. No manufacturer should fear a defective product being withdrawn from the market.
If withdrawals are expected and accepted, why should the authorities fail to make public the names of manufacturers? What about our poultry and water companies whose products failed to meet the required standards but who were never publicly named? In an industrially advanced country, we must change the past outlook and admit errors when and if they are made. Only if that is done will consumers trust manufacturers.
If consumers are accustomed to the idea of a product being withdrawn and then see a warning issued to its manufacturer, they will learn that a defect does not extend to all of a manufacturer’s products. The consumer will see that their health and safety are the first concern of the authorities — as they should be. The lack of transparency concerning the contaminated chicken and the low quality water produced by local companies will only make both domestic and foreign consumers lose confidence in all local brands. It also gives the manufacturers the wrong signal that their reputation will not be hurt by their products’ poor quality. And finally, it will give us consumers the feeling that our industries care nothing for human health and life.
