More tainted food from China

Here on the top of right column is a report about more tainted food from China. This time is tainted meat by purpose, not by accident.

a new chemical, phenylethanolamine A, has been added in some Chinese pig feed to boost up the look of the meat (so more money can be made). Such chemical can harm humans severely once the tainted meat is consumed.

Without looking into the psychology of adding such chemical to food for humans, we simply want to be informed if similar ingredients are in our food, especially in the packaged food. But where is the mechanism in the food manufacturing industry for us to learn where the ingredients are shipped from?

There is no law requiring it, so the food manufacturers would not do it.

I would love to hear from some of you for your suggestions.

Caveat Emptor

Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware.

Knowing where the ingredients of your food are from is something the consumers should begin to demand, either by influencing the food manufacturers or by law.

This basic right has been with human society since (if not before) the Roman time. The mass production of modern food has only one goal: to pursue the lowest possible price. But in the process, food producers and manufacturers have also made many short cuts and short changes and, in the end, compromise the purpose of having food, i.e., food safety.

Whole Foods’ Organic food is from China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ31Ljd9T_Y&feature=player_embedded#

Thanks to ABC I-Team’s spotlight on the so-called organic food in Whole Foods, people hopefully would start reading the labels and learn where the food is from. While it is easier for us to read the labels on the packaged food, it may not be as easy to know or find where some of fruits and vegetables are from.
We have been to Gilroy, CA, the Capital of Garlic. To our dismay, we saw many stalls claiming selling local produces are marketing Chinese garlic. We asked the store why a Gilroy local market/shop would market garlic from China. Surprised by our enquiry, the clerk answered: because customers buy them. We stopped buying the Garlic Ice Cream there. There is no way to know for sure they did not use the Chinese garlic for the ice cream.

At least, some stores like Whole Foods put on their labels showing where the ingredients are from. How about (if) the Vitamin companies buy bulk ingredients from China and repackage them in smaller packs, then mark them “Made in the US”. Technically it’s made in the U.S., but with Chinese ingredients. The problem for consumers is that, THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED BY LAW TO LABEL THAT.

This is where the trouble of our food chains starts.
(More on this subject will be followed.)

Do we know the food we buy?

In a cheese making class, I was told that in France the creameries would not buy your milk if they don't know you. Um...,this is one interesting French food philosophy.

Here in the U.S., there is no way we would know the people who supply our food. Bluntly put, we don't even know the food we buy. Or do we?

Something to ponder...

Keep our family and friends safe from Chinese chicken

Dear Friend,

I just signed a petition asking Congress to keep the ban on imported chicken from China. In addition to ongoing problems with China's food safety standards and inspection system, U.S. inspectors have found filthy and unsanitary conditions in Chinese poultry processing facilities. Can you sign the petition to keep the ban on Chinese chicken?

Take action by going to:
http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/t/741/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1373

Thanks,

Sofia V.

Tell Obama to say NO to Chinese chicken

June 2, 2009

I have recently learned that the ban of Chinese chicken may soon to be removed by the Obama administration. I recommend people to take action to express our concerns.

This action is introduced by Food and Water Watch; here is the website of the food section:
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food

Need transparency for food/drug safety

February 3, 2009
In the past several weeks, we have read a lot of news and development on Salmonella from tainted peanut butter (see the articles on the right side of this blog). Even President Obama said that “we (the administration) are going to be doing a complete review of FDA operations”.

It is clear that federal agencies, such as FDA, are often at the mercy of available federal funding and deregulation of each administration. If the FDA were consumers’ first line of defense (on food and drug safety), then what’s our second line of defense when federal funding is insufficient and/or the administration thought complete deregulation was better (like last eight years)?

The sourcing and outsourcing network among the food industry works very efficient. Salmonella virus from the tainted peanut butter in a Georgia processing plant traveled to uninformed consumers so fast that even the FDA could not act quickly enough to prevent some sickness and deaths. If the food/drug safety law requires certain transparency on the sourcing and outsourcing of food/drug industries, say through an updated website publication, then concerned consumers for their purchases would have a source of information to base on.

Of course, increasing the funds and manpower for FDA is important and welcomed because this is our first line of defense. Furthermore, we in this blog would like to see a law requiring food and drug companies to disclose the source of their ingredients (at least when inquired). A law like COOL (Country of Origin on meats and seafood) would be a great start. From there, consumers’ second line of defense on food/drug safety can begin to take shape.

In this downturn economy, such law on processed food and drugs will not increase the government’s fiscal budgets. And with more transparency to our food and drugs, it would in the long run help improving our general health and reducing the burden of our health care system.