Wednesday, February 10, 2010

It All Depends




I just returned from a hike with my two dogs, Bella and Buster. This time of year, many parts of Tilden Park are off leash areas, and because I generally keep my guys on lead, I’m invariably asked if my dogs are friendly. My sense is that most people, who are inquiring, just want a yes or no answer without any equivocation. I never quite know how to respond to their questioning, other than to say that it depends on the circumstances, which often is not the response they are looking for.

This is exactly how I feel about the ‘’questionable’’ labeling by Whole Foods of their organic frozen food products from China. People have been asking me just how important this story is. My response at this time is that we don’t have all the facts to form any salient conclusions, but my gut reaction is that it’s probably not a big deal.

I would be more concerned, if we were discussing processed foods or ingredients from China, since their track record in that arena is quite besmirched. Dried mushrooms and edamame are the foods that I consume from China, since the likelihood of their adulteration is much less problematic.

Most people are rather ignorant regarding the origin of their food and often don’t read or understand food labels. We live in a world in which many of our foods are outsourced. The German owned Trader Joes is an international retailer who sources its products from all over the world. Looking at a benign can of organic beans, one would never suspect that they were from China or Turkey.

I’m more concerned with the ‘’crap’’ most people eat, rather than the dubious labeling practices of Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

Watch this two minute video of Dennis Kucinich!
http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/page/42.html

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