The rash of defective, poisonous and questionable products finding their way to North American store shelves from China in recent weeks is making at least some people question whether buying cheap is necessarily the best way to go.

Tires, toothpaste and toy trains joined ceramic heaters and toy barbecues -- all recently recalled, banned or detained at the border, and all from China.

U.S. authorities seem a bit quicker (or hastier) in their decisions than Canadians, detaining antibiotic-laden farmed fish, eel and shrimp, as well as juices containing questionable colour additives.

Chinese-made toothpaste brands have been banned in some countries for containing diethylene glycol, a substitute for glycerine. The antifreeze ingredient can be deadly if ingested, and has been linked to illnesses in South America.

Some one million tubes of Chinese toothpaste – more than one for every Ottawa resident – have been recalled south of the border. While no illnesses have been reported, they are being replaced in hospitals and prisons with toothpastes from elsewhere.

The case of the imported Chinese wheat gluten, tainted with melamine, was responsible for the premature deaths of what's believed to be thousands of North American pets, and will likely lead to large class action lawsuits here and in the U.S.

And that little Thomas the Tank Engine toy you bought for Junior apparently has enough lead in it to make him ill, should he chew on it on a regular basis. Unfortunately, that's precisely what kids tend to do.

Some Chinese companies, perhaps sensing that consumers are starting to check "Made in" labels, have tried to disguise the country of origin. A Guelph dollar store recently pulled toothpaste claiming South African origin after an eagle-eyed consumer noticed the label was unilingual, and titled "Coigate."

The Chinese government is moving to quell concern. Wang Xinpei, a spokesman in the Chinese Commerce Ministry, said Thursday that Chinese officials are careful and systematic, especially when it comes to food products for export.

This year alone, it was noted, more than 180 factories have been shut down, with testers finding unsafe levels of everything – from industrial grade wax and dyes to formaldehyde – in foods. "These are not isolated cases," an official from another wing of the government said. It was not clear whether the food items were destined for export.

As if to underscore the one-party state's dedication to stamping out the problem, police raided a village near Beijing the same day as Mr. Wang's announcement. On a hog farm, police found an elaborate system where the animals were apparently pumped full of wastewater – a bid to boost their weights prior to slaughter. According to the government-controlled state press, tubes were put down their throats so 20 kilograms of wastewater could be pumped in.

Happy year of the pig, everybody.

Are all of the above just cases of a few bad apples in an otherwise good Chinese orchard? Or are bribery, corruption and the search for illegal shortcuts standard fare in a country where more than one billion citizens do whatever they can to gain an edge over their competitors?

China has long ago left behind its communist command economy, but it still has a communist authoritarian system in place. The police and the army are still well-armed, the media does what it's told, and punishments for breaking the law are severe.

With all that in place, it's odd that so many problems are now emerging. But worrisome as well, for both Chinese citizens who consume these products daily and those of us in export countries who consume them when they slip through the cracks, is that the government can't seem to keep up. Neither theirs nor ours.

Mr. Wang last week issued a worldwide pledge, telling reporters, "It can be said that the quality of China's exports all are guaranteed."

What does the guarantee mean for people who become ill?

Perhaps it's time for an enterprising individual or firm to offer "China-free" products, promising that, until China cleans up its act, none of the constituent parts or ingredients of the products will originate in a country where wastewater is used as pork filler every now and again.