Country of Origin--food

[lance]

About a week ago a program aired in Canada (W5) about the source of processed foods.

In Canada if 51% of the total cost of the product was created here the product can be labelled "Product of Canada".

So olives grown in Italy, orange juice concentrate imported from the US, apple juice concentrate imported from China can all be labelled "Product of Canada".

The show's producers interviewed fishermen on a dock across from the High Liner fish processing plant in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia. When asked what was Canadian about the High Liner fish being processed they replied "the box". The fish are from SE Asia.

So now I'm wondering what the label means on a product when it says "packaged for ........). Unfortunately I'm finding out.

I called the Kellogg Company and inquired about the contents of a package of Special K Redberry and was told the strawberries are freeze dried in China. I'm very concerned about what we're eating. Chinese imports have killed our companion animals, sickened and hospitalized our children and are now, according to The Times article referred to on another thread, attempting to infiltrate the pharmaceuticals we consume to keep us healthy.

Every consumer wants to pay the cheapest price possible, controls are not in place and we are all paying the price.

So next time you read a product label at the supermarket that says Pachaged for .............. think about the country of origin. I certainly am.

Food for thought.

 

[Nancy]

I agree with you, Lance. And I think more and more people will be taking this kind of initiative. How successful it will be in tracking down the source of things, I don't know, but if it hits the pocketbook of some of the companies, then the very large boat will slowly turn around.

We have so much farm land, and a large part of our country is sunny and warm. We could grow much of our products, and they would taste better too. They won't be picked in such an unripe state.

It' usually better too, to eat fresh things rather than processed stuff. Who knows where the processed things are coming from, or how clean the processing facility is?

 

[geebee]

Call me paranoid but I haven't heard too much about the possibility that some of these import issues are intentional. Sure seems odd that this China thing has come about very recently. In addition, I have read where terrorists in other nations were targeting our children. Most people assumed this meant doing things at physical school locations but what about beads, meant for children, that are putting our kids into comas if ingested? It is common knowledge that little children will put colorful beads into their mouths - impossible for them to resist.

Couple that with all the recent toy recalls and I am getting quite concerned.

The food issue is also scary. I do not eat processed foods because I want to know exactly what is in the foods I eat. I am even concerned about eating out and try to stick to recognizable foods (i.e. I do not eat mystery meat or compounded items with unknown ingredients).

If the distributors and manufacturers in this country who use foreign materials are made to step up to the plate and divulge what is in their products, this stuff would not continue. However, it would take a massive boycott of products to bring such a disclosure about.

 

[Cooker]

I am a creature of convenience. I try and choose healthy foods while dinning out but I am not losing sleep over what might be in what or from where.

Most of the world think Americans have very odd and picky eating habits. I can tell you that I have had my stomach turned more than once while watching Discovery or the like on the cuisine of other places in the world. I can't worry about everything that is wrong or may go wrong in the world. I have to pick and choose what things to guard against and for the most part food is not one of them. But that's just me

 

[lance]

Might I add

Might I add

I should have said "packaged" not processed foods.

We had a very serious bout of food poisoning earlier this year. The kind that takes a month to recover from and can but luckily didn't cause intestines to shut down--permanently. The culprit--shrimp from SE Asia part of a meal from a Japanese food outlet in the mall. Except for the chicken I chose instead of shrimp the meals were exactly the same. Had I eaten the shrimp it would have been a nightmare to manage warfarin. Many times when visiting the the Carolinas we have enjoyed and consumed huge amounts of shrimp--it's finger-licking good--without incident.

The malinine(sp) used to cheaply boost the protein content in pet foods may not have been added with the intention of poisoning them but did. However it proves how ignorant they are of the products/ingrediants they are handling.

A person being interviewed on W5 said something would be done when the body count climbed. All I can do is be vigilant.

 

[wes]

Living so close to China, I can tell you that most of the fruits and vegetables available in the supermarkets over here are from China. Does that scare me? Personally, I'm more concerned about the use of pesticides on the things I eat rather than the country of origin.

Also, I wonder where the warfarin I'm consuming is actually produced. The label is written in Japanese, but that doesn't mean it was made in this country.

I've had 2 terrible bouts of food poisoning while living over here (5 days of severe diarrhea). Both of these episodes were pre op, so I'm very concerned about picking up another intestinal bug while taking warfarin.
I've decided not to eat any more raw foods (in Japan, not only do they eat raw fish, but they also eat raw horse, beef, and chicken and eggs!)

 

[Nancy]

I just read a story in the paper this morning about a local strawberry farmer who was on the verge of selling out his farm due to lack of business, even though he had a farm stand and a "pick your own" deal. His farm stand was a little out of the way. It had been in his family since the late 1700s. His daughter wanted to try to keep it going. So they decided to bring their produce to the local Farmers' Markets, and now his business is thriving and he is planning to add additional acres of strawberries.

So many times, I have driven by Farmers' Markets. I think now, I will stop and spend some American dollars for American food.

Our framers should not be going out of business. They grow the very same thing that we are importing. Where is their produce going?

 

[kbheart]

I agree

I agree

So many times, I have driven by Farmers' Markets. I think now, I will stop and spend some American dollars for American food.

That's a great point! I never thought of it that way. I usually pass up the farmer's markets because I'm short of time but they're worth the time and taste.