Fast Food Nastiness

[rett2]

I just skimmed the last page of the thread. Did I understand right that US fast food chains are selling Chinese meat in the US?

[GoldenBrain]

I just skimmed the last page of the thread. Did I understand right that US fast food chains are selling Chinese meat in the US?

Yup. The USDA has green-lighted China to sell chicken meat to the USA. What's worse is they don't have to label it as to where the meat comes from or how it's produced. What's even stranger is how chicken producers here are shipping meat to China for processing which will then return to the USA for consumption.

My answer is either produce your own food or buy local organic...period!

[Jimbo]

I don't trust any food products from China. Period. If something is from China, it should be labeled, or at least there should be some way to be informed about it. Chinese pet food makers were putting toxic crap in them not too long ago. I wouldn't put it past them to do the same with human food. It makes me wonder if it's incompetence, shortcuts, or done purposefully.

IMO, any American company that sells Chinese food products is negligent.

[MarathonTmatt]

I don't trust any food products from China. Period. If something is from China, it should be labeled, or at least there should be some way to be informed about it. Chinese pet food makers were putting toxic crap in them not too long ago. I wouldn't put it past them to do the same with human food. It makes me wonder if it's incompetence, shortcuts, or done purposefully.

IMO, any American company that sells Chinese food products is negligent.

Yeah, it's like all these big companies are ruining our health. One mistake I see a lot of "health conscious" people do is they eat Edamame, which usually comes from China (says it right on the package). I like seafood and all too, but after Fukushima disaster I am suspicious of a lot of Pacific Ocean fish (like tuna.)

[GoldenBrain]

I don't trust any food products from China. Period. If something is from China, it should be labeled, or at least there should be some way to be informed about it. Chinese pet food makers were putting toxic crap in them not too long ago. I wouldn't put it past them to do the same with human food. It makes me wonder if it's incompetence, shortcuts, or done purposefully.

IMO, any American company that sells Chinese food products is negligent.

Yeah, it's like all these big companies are ruining our health. One mistake I see a lot of "health conscious" people do is they eat Edamame, which usually comes from China (says it right on the package). I like seafood and all too, but after Fukushima disaster I am suspicious of a lot of Pacific Ocean fish (like tuna.)

I'm with you both.

The Fukushima thing has me turned off ocean fish permanently. I'll take pictures later in the year when I get the aquaponics operation up and running again. I'm all about raising my own meat at this point. Hahaha, that sounded dirty... You know what I mean though. As far as meat goes we only eat chicken, turkey, fish and some wild game that I hunt like deer and some various birds, oh and the occasional organic grass fed bison from a local farm my friend owns. You can't trust anybody unless it's local enough for you to verify exactly how they are running things.

Just because it's raised in the good ol USA doesn't mean it's safe or ethical either. Take the term natural. According to the legal description it is basically anything that isn't synthetic. Organic, well farms can actually add some percentage of synthetic pesticides and these farms are inspected only once a year, so you really can't be 100% on that one either. Free range only means that once a year the farm has to provide access for the animals to go outside. I used to live in chicken farm central in NC and the place right next to me would harvest chickens 3 times a year. They were free range but lived in long barns by the thousands all year long. They would open the doors of the barn but the stupid chickens were ALWAYS too scared to leave. So they closed the door in the evening and fulfilled their obligation to the term free range. It's ridiculous!!!

Here's something that will help a little bit with produce if you don't have a local source. I'm not entirely sure how to tell about meat and other products yet but I'll post that when I find out.




I'm fortunate that I can produce much of my own produce, and have very trusted local organic sources for meat and produce. My hope is by next year we'll be completely self sufficient for both meat and produce.

[madhusudan]

You can't trust anybody unless it's local enough for you to verify exactly how they are running things.

Living in the current state of total information overload I find it easiest to frame the situation like this: If you don't know the producer, you're certainly eating something you wouldn't choose/don't want. GMO, hormones, antibiotics, fraudulent ingredients, radiation, you-name-it - it's all in there -- guaranteed!

[GoldenBrain]

Living in the current state of total information overload I find it easiest to frame the situation like this: If you don't know the producer, you're certainly eating something you wouldn't choose/don't want. GMO, hormones, antibiotics, fraudulent ingredients, radiation, you-name-it - it's all in there -- guaranteed!

I like it. People really should WANT to know where their food comes from and how it's produced. It's always a bit shocking to me when I encounter people who are completely baffled by this process. I've met adults who don't even know what animal a pork chop is cut from. Seriously, "pork" should give it away. Try discussing GMO, hormones, antibiotics...etc. with some of these sheltered souls and you get the stunned mullet look. At that point I try to create distance between me and them, much like avoiding somebody with a highly contagious disease that I want no part of.

[MarathonTmatt]

I'm with you both.

The Fukushima thing has me turned off ocean fish permanently. I'll take pictures later in the year when I get the aquaponics operation up and running again. I'm all about raising my own meat at this point. Hahaha, that sounded dirty... You know what I mean though. As far as meat goes we only eat chicken, turkey, fish and some wild game that I hunt like deer and some various birds, oh and the occasional organic grass fed bison from a local farm my friend owns. You can't trust anybody unless it's local enough for you to verify exactly how they are running things.

Just because it's raised in the good ol USA doesn't mean it's safe or ethical either. Take the term natural. According to the legal description it is basically anything that isn't synthetic. Organic, well farms can actually add some percentage of synthetic pesticides and these farms are inspected only once a year, so you really can't be 100% on that one either. Free range only means that once a year the farm has to provide access for the animals to go outside. I used to live in chicken farm central in NC and the place right next to me would harvest chickens 3 times a year. They were free range but lived in long barns by the thousands all year long. They would open the doors of the barn but the stupid chickens were ALWAYS too scared to leave. So they closed the door in the evening and fulfilled their obligation to the term free range. It's ridiculous!!!

Here's something that will help a little bit with produce if you don't have a local source. I'm not entirely sure how to tell about meat and other products yet but I'll post that when I find out.




I'm fortunate that I can produce much of my own produce, and have very trusted local organic sources for meat and produce. My hope is by next year we'll be completely self sufficient for both meat and produce.

Wow, yeah, I wish I ate more locally grown food. There are a couple really nice Thai restaurants in my area I like to eat at- the food is surprisingly fresh and the Hindu people who work at the big corporation in my area always eat there. Maybe I should frequent some of the local farms more often too. I never knew about some of those technical things about what it means to be "free range." Also, those produce labels you posted were enlightening- I knew 4 digit was conventional, 5 digit starting with 9 was organic, but I had no idea that a code starting with 8 meant genetically modified.

[GoldenBrain]

Wow, yeah, I wish I ate more locally grown food. There are a couple really nice Thai restaurants in my area I like to eat at- the food is surprisingly fresh and the Hindu people who work at the big corporation in my area always eat there. Maybe I should frequent some of the local farms more often too. I never knew about some of those technical things about what it means to be "free range." Also, those produce labels you posted were enlightening- I knew 4 digit was conventional, 5 digit starting with 9 was organic, but I had no idea that a code starting with 8 meant genetically modified.

I loves me some Thai food!

I couldn't agree more with visiting some of the local farms. If you have a farmers market then go there for sure. Besides buying what you need to eat throughout the growing season you can sometimes set up deliveries of produce to your house as long as you buy in bulk. This is a good way for non gardening types to get a plethora of food at a cheap price for canning, freezing, drying...etc. A few deliveries and you're set for the winter months. If you're lucky you'll find real free range chicken eggs and other goodies like local raw honey, or possibly fresh made yogurt...stuff like that.

It makes me sad, even angry when I think about how large commercial operations treat their animals during production. So, since I can't take back all the support I gave them during my ignorant years I can at least choose to not support them now. That's why it's extremely important to me to encourage home production of food as well as local farmers markets where you're more likely to encounter people who treat their animals humanely.

[rett2]

Yup. The USDA has green-lighted China to sell chicken meat to the USA. What's worse is they don't have to label it as to where the meat comes from or how it's produced. What's even stranger is how chicken producers here are shipping meat to China for processing which will then return to the USA for consumption.

My answer is either produce your own food or buy local organic...period!

Thanks, good to know.

Not even having to label it? Sometimes I get lulled into believing in progress and then the powers that be go and take an ugly step in the wrong direction.

[Syn7]

Thanks, good to know.

Not even having to label it? Sometimes I get lulled into believing in progress and then the powers that be go and take an ugly step in the wrong direction.

For the most part, people becoming more socially progressive. Some of that is reflected in law, much is not. Popular opinion has less affect on law than you would think. It has very little ability to change or prevent laws that are being bought and paid for by those very few who can afford to buy policy for their own gains. You want a voice? Help end legal bribery. Article V. Do it.