China strikes again

[WindwardOahuRN]

First the wheat-gluten/melamine scam, now this horrifying news:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/wo...hp&oref=slogin

[Miulang]

Re: China strikes again

This is one of those unintentional, negative consequences of globalization of our food supplies. And this one, more than most others, directly impacts our health. It's one thing to import cheap defective widgets from China, but so much of our food and ingredients are being imported because of American companies' desires to maximize their profits and our (the consumer) demand for cheaper goods.

And it's not just food imported from China...it could be food and ingredients imported from South and Central America and even Europe, for that matter. Examining whole foods---like fruits and vegetables---is easy, because it's one product. But when you have to worry about additives and other ingredients that might be imported, do you realize how big an impact that is on what is safe to eat? For instance, many of the baked products you buy now may contain tainted additives (e.g., gluten).

What's really truly ironic is that this may just be a case of "what comes around, goes around". For years and years and years, US corporations have dumped pharmaceuticals, chemicals and insecticides that were deemed harmful by the USDA and FDA onto Third World country markets just so the US corporations could make some extra money. So if those illegal substances are still being used in countries that are now exporting food to us...surprise surprise, we're getting all our poisons back in a more sinister form.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: China strikes again

The good news is that the FDA and Dept of Agriculture have cleared for our consumption the pigs and chickens that were fed the melamine-contaminated pet scraps (yum, yum).

The BAD news is that China is now reporting the mysterious deaths of milllions of pigs since February. The pigs are still being fed food that could be tainted with melamine because the Chinese government has not banned its use in feed.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: China strikes again

OK, first pets, then pigs, then chickens...now farmed fish (like salmon and trout)...and it didn't get to this country as gluten...it came in the form of wheat flour.

Miulang

[joshuatree]

Re: China strikes again

At this point, the FDA is to blame. Isn't the whole purpose of that dept to screen and keep an eye out on the food and drug supply/chain much like the CDC for infectious disease? Time for heads to roll in the FDA, they're getting paid to do jack.

[glossyp]

Re: China strikes again

OK, first pets, then pigs, then chickens...now farmed fish (like salmon and trout)...and it didn't get to this country as gluten...it came in the form of wheat flour.

Miulang

Eat more BEEF! All kidding aside, this is a very serious issue and I doubt we've heard the end of it.

[Miulang]

Re: China strikes again

Maybe eating fish isn't as beneficial to one's health as originally believed, which might be a good thing as our oceans are being overfished and the farmed raised fish are potentially capable of poisoning us! We can't even be vegetarians, because who knows what kind of contamination might be lurking in the soil or the air?

Live and eat as though there was no tomorrow, I guess.

Miulang

[tutusue]

Re: China strikes again

[...]Live and eat as though there was no tomorrow, I guess.

I'll drink to that! Maybe alcohol will help kill off some of those ingested cooties!