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We admit it. Neither one of us had ever heard the term “locavore” before we read Barbara Kingsolver’s new book a couple of months ago (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle— great for reading out loud, if you’re so inclined). But given Eric’s organic gardening ways and my preferences for fresh and unadulturated foods, it’s an approach to eating that appeals to us: cut down on the amount of fossil fuels being burned to transport foods across long distances; know where your food is coming from; support local farmers. We like it. Barbara, you’ve made converts of us!
Meanwhile, like everyone else, we’ve been tempted in our blog entries by the joys of alliteration (who can resist the Chinese Chickens?) as well as the colorful, gross-out images that have been coming to us in media accounts of food safety practices in China and elsewhere abroad. But recently we’ve noticed a rather disturbing trend. Some discussions of the seemingly benevolent choice to “eat locally” have crossed over into something a little darker: there’s a familiar note of protectionism and fear present–and a bit of racism, too. Like the familiar rants about “sending our jobs overseas,” and “saving our jobs for Americans,” these threads suggest some folks want to close the U.S. borders and hide from the world.
The Bush Administration announced on Wednesday that it’s establishing a government panel to recommend policy steps for protecting the safety of food shipped into the U.S., and to improve inspection of those imports. And last night, the House Agriculture Committee voted to require, as part of the U.S. Farm Bill, that country of origin labels be placed on meats starting next year.
Well, we’ve all heard the stereotype that making policy is like making sausage…you probably don’t want to know what’s in there! So, for those of you who like stickers and labels, you may well get them. But the Associated Press notes that some compromises have been made along the way in order to get those Band-aids–er–stickers. Namely, the Committee agreed, ” to soften penalties and burdensome record-keeping requirements that had concerned many food retailers and meatpackers who opposed the law.”
Two weeks after the U.S. cracked down on China’s shrimp and catfish for containing traces of antibiotics, China fired back, banning meat products from seven U.S. companies, including two that sold pork ribs and pig ears containing residues of a chemical called ractopamine.
Ractopamine?
From the Post article:
“It’s fed to a large majority of the pigs in the United States,” said Jim Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation. “It simply results in more high-quality, lean pork and less fat.”
…AND some stressed-out piggies. From a USDA study:
[Use of] ractopamine has been…accompanied by…reports of effects on the behavior of the pigs, making them ‘hyperactive’ and more susceptible to transport stress…At the end of the 4-week study, [ractopamine-treated pigs] had higher heart rates than control-fed pigs and higher levels of circulating stress hormones.
They really did it.
Today China executed Zheng Xiaoyu, who had headed its FDA from its founding in 1998 until he was fired in 2005 for accepting bribes—over $800,000 worth—and for approving faulty drugs that were blamed for at least 10 deaths.
Convicted and sentenced to death on May 29 after a two-week trial, Zheng had filed an appeal on June 13, and we were wondering whether China would go through with the execution, seeing as how Zheng’s actions were nothing out of the ordinary in China. Corruption there has been described as “pervasive,” “rampant, “widespread,” and “massive,” (that’s right, all within one article). But the recent food and drug safety scandals demanded a scapegoat, and Zheng, although arrested two years ago, was conveniently available. As the Chinese proverb says, you gotta kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.
Reuters had a story yesterday about a company in Utah that’s putting “China-Free” stickers on its “nutritional supplements for people and pets.” Might be a successful marketing gimmick. According to this MSNBC online poll, 77% of current respondents favor the idea. Only 8% think it’s racist.
We here at What on Earth are we Eating think that focusing on whether foods and products are “China-free” is beside the point. Yes, it’s true that many Chinese manufacturers have been taking shortcuts in the production of their goods–both for domestic use and for export–and that the quest for lower prices has had costs for safety. But, ultimately, the problem is not that Chinese foods and products are inherently suspect. It’s that the F.D.A. is inadequately equipped to ensure that imported foods are safe, no matter which country they come from.
Update: We’ve removed the “China-Free” sticker image, since some commentors have been taking Eric’s inexact rendition of a map of China very personally. (Yes, we know Taiwan and China are two different countries, guys!)
It’s interesting that this post has drawn more reaction than any other we’ve written thus far. Hmm…it seems that people like stickers! And slogans! And–understandably–a way to feel more in control. –But “No China” stickers won’t deal with the fundamental problem here. Whether we like it or not, our food is now being produced worldwide. We can’t be certain that careful standards–or ANY standards–have been applied to ensure this food is safe.
What on Earth Are We Eating? 