Angry in the Great White North

The John Birch Society is promoting this Colgate toothpaste theory (which I have summarized, so you should read the whole thing):

1. Colgate buys or contracts out toothpaste production with an existing Chinese company
2. Colgate market share and profits in China continue to rise. Colgate and communist party bosses at contract manufacturer both happy.
3. Bustling Chinese contract manufacturer finds it difficult to obtain relatively non-toxic polyethylene glycol (PEG) or propylene glycol (the safe anti-freeze additive in US Colgate toothpaste and Dr. Pepper). With or without the approval of Colgate's the contract manufacturer starts using the more toxic sister chemical di-ethylene glycol (DEG). (Alternatively, the gel quality enhancing DEG could have been added or increased in quantity to correct a first pass deficiency in a QC standard.)
4. Fix was good enough to continue shipping out product, but as Chinese citizens started ending up in hospitals, a silent crackdown on the use of DEG in Chinese toothpaste ensues.
5. Worried Colgate rejects back to its supplier(s) all stock of the DEG containing toothpaste in the system.
6. Chinese contract manufacturer stuck with the Colgate inventory is not happy camper - decides to package the rejected Colgate product into counterfeit packaging. Labels production source as South Africa to cover their tracks -- but makes English language mistakes that would never happen in English speaking South Africa. Dumps product into the busy South African re-sellers market.
7. Discount South African re-sellers distribute product around the world, including shipments back into the US.
8. Colgate QA and PR teams fan out to cover a downside of globalization.

Now thiis theory explains why the Colgate tube looks fine in terms of labelling -- it was an official Colgate product, including the DEG-laced toothpate inside. It was only after the stock was rejected that someone lacking in scruples surreptitiously repackaged the tubes in fake cardboard packages (and did a poor job in rendering English).

However this theory does mean that Colgate did manufacturer this product.

That runs contrary to Colgate's official position.

According to Wikipedia, there isn't a conspiracy theory the John Birch Society doesn't like. So consider the source when you consider this theory. But also consider that officials haven't identified the origins of this contaminated toothpaste, and that will need to happen if there is going to be any hope of repairing damaged consumer confidence.

Unless they do know the whole story, and won't reveal it.

Great, now I'm starting to sound like those John Birch guys.

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