Map
Case

Hungarian paprika adulteration with red lead, 1994

In October 1994 Hungary suspended paprika sales after the government found lead-rich red paint in up to one-third of tested samples; at least 40 people were hospitalised and 18 arrested (Washington Post via The Seattle Times). Police pointed to profit as the motive, and lawmakers linked the case to the shift to an almost unregulated economy: two state mills before 1989, 70 private mills two years later. A Budapest study recorded 141 adults who ate paprika contaminated with lead tetroxide, 53 with symptoms (J Toxicol Clin Toxicol, 1996).

Industry
Food
Frameworks applied
Market Failures Approach (MFA)
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Frameworks applied

This case is read through the frameworks below.

  • Market Failures Approach (MFA)When reviewing how the firm makes its profits, which strategies should a business owner drop because they rely on market failures rather than fair competition?

Sources

References

Listed A–Z by author surname, Harvard style. A source with a DOI links to https://doi.org/…; one without links to its page or says plainly that it has no DOI.

  1. Kákosy, T., Hudák, A. and Náray, M. (1996) ‘Lead intoxication epidemic caused by ingestion of contaminated ground paprika’, Journal of Toxicology: Clinical Toxicology, 34(5), pp. 507–511.doi:10.3109/15563659609028008Source page
  2. Pomfret, J. (1994) Post-Communist Deregulation Brings Poisoned Paprika To Hungary's Markets. The Seattle Times.No DOIarchive.seattletimes.comSource page