Imported Foods
It might take you a bit longer to shop until you memorize all the products you usually buy.As Beef producers we have implemented C.O.O.L. ( it is the acronym for “country of origin label”. It is on all products fresh, frozen or canned) So read your labels buy only domestic meat. Costco does label their lamb also, it comes from New Zealand or Australia, very little domestic.Green Giant frozen vegetables are from China, as are most of Europe’s Best. Arctic Gardens are OK.
NEVER buy the grocery store garlic unless it is clearly marked from the USA or Canada. Most everything else is stuff grown in people poop (even worse than the chicken poop below)!. China is the largest producer of garlic in the world. The U.S. is next.
Buy only local honey; again, most honey is shipped in huge containers from China and re-packed in the US. You probably won’t find that on the label!!
Cold-FX is grown and packed in China and is full of fecal bacteria. Doesn't work anyway, big scam. If the country of origin is not clearly marked beware.
If you aren’t sure about produce, ask an employee.
Watch out for packages which state "prepared for", "packed by" or "imported by".
The country of origin should be clearly shown on the item. Buy as much as you can from local farmers markets in season and keep a wary eye open the rest of the year.
How is it possible to ship food from China cheaper than having it produced in the U.S or Canada?
For example: the "Our Family" brand of mandarin oranges says right on the can it’s from China. Just look at the label - The MORE we purchase from China, the cheaper it becomes for them to ship it all to the US in huge container ships!
For a few more cents (literally!) you can buy several other brands.
Gold brand or Dole comes from California.
Beware, Costco sells canned peaches and pears in a plastic container that come from China.
All "High Liner" and most other frozen fish products come from China or Indonesia. The package may say "pacific salmon" on the front, but look for the small print, usually on the back of the package near the bottom. Most of these products come from fish farms in the orient where there are no regulations on what is fed to these fish. (Recently The MontrealGazette had an article by the Canadian Government on how Chinese feed the fish: They suspend chicken wire crates over the fish ponds, and the fish feed on chicken poop. Then YOU get to eat the fish!) If you search the internet about what the Chinese feed their fish that they import all over the world, you'll be alarmed at the pictures and the articles. (It’snauseating reading!)
Never buy any type of fish or shellfish that comes from these countries: Vietnam, China, Philippines. Again, you can find a myriad of articles on this on the internet without having to dig very far!
Steinfeld’s Pickles are made in India – just as bad!!!
Another example is in canned mushrooms: No-Name brand comes from Indonesia.
Check those little fruit cups. They used to be made in Canada in the Niagara region until about 2 years ago. They are now packaged in China! Look at the label!
While the Chinese export inferior and even toxic products, dangerous toys and goods to be sold in North American markets, the media wrings its hands and criticizes the Obama Administration and the Harper Government for perceived errors. Yet 70% of North Americans believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended!!Well, duh. Why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges? Simply do it yourself!!! Buy only Canadian or US products!!
Read the labels of what you buy! If it says 'Made in China ' or 'PRC' (that now includes Hong Kong), choose another product, or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent you are on Chinese products and how YOU are furthering their invasion into our food supply as well as taking jobs away from US citizens by buying their products!
**** If 200 million North Americans refused to buy just $20 each of Chinese goods, that's a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor...fast!! The downside? Some Canadian / American businesses will feel a temporary pinch from having foreign stockpiles of their inventory. But we, as Americans, HAVE to show them that we do NOT want Chinese products or they will keep buying from China. We are the end user and we must change this because they won’t.
If just one month of trading losses hit the Chinese, it would account for 8% of their North American exports. That's "less" coming in, not "more"! At least it's a start! Even slowing down the amount they get into this country helps.
