# I live in the U.S. I don't want food from China! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 18, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455 "2010-01-18T19:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/21 "2010-01-19T11:03:29Z")
> [@figure9](#): > > Canned Pineapple comes from Thailand or Indonesia. :eek::eek::eek: And yet here I am, living on a diet of food produced almost entirely in Indonesia, as does my family. We’re going on 10 (non-consecutive) years here, with no food-related health concerns yet. The LEAST healthy part of our diet comes from foreign (mostly American) imports - McDonald’s, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Snickers, granola bars. As far as I am concerned, a blanket rule of “I’ll try to eat food that is as unprocessed as possible, and I’ll avoid highly processed goods” seems more likely to produce a healthy diet than a blanket rule of “I don’t wanna eat food made by foreigners!” ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/22 "2010-01-19T11:27:06Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I don’t recall any cases of members of the US government inspectors [conspiring](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-01/06/content_9270101.htm) with manufacturers to cover up poisonous food. Yeah, but I don’t think you get milk products, with poisonous melamine added, here! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/23 "2010-01-19T13:36:01Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > :eek::eek::eek: > > And yet here I am, living on a diet of food produced almost entirely in Indonesia, as does my family. We’re going on 10 (non-consecutive) years here, with no food-related health concerns yet. > > The LEAST healthy part of our diet comes from foreign (mostly American) imports - McDonald’s, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Snickers, granola bars. > > As far as I am concerned, a blanket rule of “I’ll try to eat food that is as unprocessed as possible, and I’ll avoid highly processed goods” seems more likely to produce a healthy diet than a blanket rule of “I don’t wanna eat food made by foreigners!” That’s high calorie non-poisonous personal choice meals verses sometimes poisonously adulterated food which may or may not be high caloric food. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/24 "2010-01-19T14:24:12Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Yes you should and save them from the experience. Save them from the _Winston Smith_ experience? ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/25 "2010-01-19T16:05:42Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > You grow peaches in Toronto? We can’t get them locally here in Vermont. How well do they do? Stone fruit trees do wonderfully in our part of Ontario, actually. The farmers’ markets are full of peaches and nectarines and plums come late summer. Keep in mind, though, that Toronto is located further south than most of Vermont… we’re a 6a/6b hardiness zone, which is perfect for many kinds of fruits and vegetables. It’s a great part of the world to live in if you’re trying to eat local and grow your own (both of which are the case for me). Unfortunately, my own trees aren’t producing a reliable crop yet because they’re relatively young… plus they were badly neglected before we bought the house a couple of years ago, and I’m still nursing them back from a severe case of leaf curl that nearly killed them off. We’ve got high hopes for them, though. 🙂 Last summer, we managed to pick three peaches before the darn squirrels got at them, and they were quite good. If I can just beat that leaf curl once and for all and manage to fend off the hordes of local squirrels, I just might have a half-decent crop this summer. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/26 "2010-01-19T20:52:23Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Your option is to read up on seasonality and food-miles. You’re going to end up shopping at Farmer’s Markets and growing your own garden and fruit trees. You’re also going to have to give up things like bananas and citrus. Have fun. You’re going to give up some selection if you don’t want to buy foods that come from certain countries. Some fruits and vegetables won’t be available from local sources at certain times of year, or you might have to buy fresh or frozen instead of canned (or vice versa). You might also end up paying more. It’s also possible that you won’t be able to get all your grocery shopping done in one stop any more. You can buy all local food. What you can’t do is buy all local food and expect the same prices, selection, and convenience as someone who doesn’t care where food is from. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/27 "2010-01-19T22:25:41Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > Errr… was that directed at me? > > Because if so, I feel the need to point out that the Greater Toronto Area isn’t particularly well-known for its citrus groves, even with the milder-than-average winter we’ve had so far. I do have a lovely raspberry patch and a couple of peach trees in the backyard, though. No - by “you guys” I meant the Americans in the audience. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/28 "2010-01-19T23:52:09Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > That’s high calorie non-poisonous personal choice meals verses sometimes poisonously adulterated food which may or may not be high caloric food. The only way I can interpret that statement is as support for the contention that food from outside the US (specifically Thailand and Indonesia, since those are the countries referenced) should automatically be avoided on the assumption that it has a high likelihood of being poisonous. I’m sorry, but such a blanket assumption strikes me as xenophobic. Yes, the problems in China have been widely publicized. These days, a choice to avoid food produced in China could be based on rational thought. But to assume _every country_ (or at least all Asian nations, which is in some ways more troubling as it hints at racism) produces dangerous food is unfounded. It says more about the person shuddering at the “made in Indonesia” label than it does about the country manufacturing it. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/29 "2010-01-20T06:04:01Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > The only way I can interpret that statement is as support for the contention that food from outside the US (specifically Thailand and Indonesia, since those are the countries referenced) should automatically be avoided on the assumption that it has a high likelihood of being poisonous. > > I’m sorry, but such a blanket assumption strikes me as xenophobic. Yes, the problems in China have been widely publicized. These days, a choice to avoid food produced in China could be based on rational thought. But to assume _every country_ (or at least all Asian nations, which is in some ways more troubling as it hints at racism) produces dangerous food is unfounded. It says more about the person shuddering at the “made in Indonesia” label than it does about the country manufacturing it. No. I’m pointing out that you are comparing what was a food adulteration concern about China produced food by the OP, with high calorie food like they are the same thing. That was my point. Apparently my meaning wasn’t stated well. That happens. China’s bad record on adulterated products is specifically their problem not Asia’s. I said nothing against Asia as a whole. China has earned the distrust that people currently have. Not trusting a country of origin because of their recent past problems is not xenophobic. I find it funny that I almost posted early on that I love Indonesian pineapple. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/30 "2010-01-20T06:43:50Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > No. I’m pointing out that you are comparing what was a food adulteration concern about China produced food by the OP, with high calorie food like they are the same thing. That was my point. Apparently my meaning wasn’t stated well. That happens. China’s bad record on adulterated products is specifically their problem not Asia’s. I said nothing against Asia as a whole. China has earned the distrust that people currently have. Not trusting a country of origin because of their recent past problems is not xenophobic. > > I find it funny that I almost posted early on that I love Indonesian pineapple. Okay, then, I see your clarification. I was assuming that you fully accepted the OP and were expanding from that, since the OP _did_ clearly extend their suspicion of Chinese goods to all countries outside the American “hemisphere”, mentioning Thailand and Indonesia by name. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/31 "2010-01-20T10:29:59Z")
Of course, easy to say…as long as we have “Country of Origin” labels. The agribusiness complex wants to drop this, however. So, it may be quite dificult (in the future) to determine where your food is coming from!😕 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455/32 "2010-01-20T15:22:16Z")
The best thing is to avoid highly processed foods. Don’t buy supermarket ground meat unless they grind it themselves, for example. I actually buy stewing cubes and grind it in a food mill. I would not buy food from China. To say they have poor quality control somehow misses the point. They will do anything to lower their costs. But then so will US meat packers. So will farmers everywhere, it seems. The virulent strains of E. coli (most strains are quite harmless) appear to come from hog factories. I don’t think much, if any, fresh produce comes from China. But I avoid processed things like prepared salad. How hard is it to cut up lettuce to make a salad? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-live-in-the-u-s-i-dont-want-food-from-china/525455.md?page=1)