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Health & Fitness

Poison Foods

I opened a can of StarKist tuna that I had been storing in my earthquake supply kit.  It looked like sludge.  Disgusting! I tossed it out and settled instead for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  It had been one of those hectic days with non-stop emergencies.  I knew my energy level would hit bottom unless I stopped to eat something for a quick lunch.  That tuna started me thinking about food safety.  Imagine if the rest of my earthquake food turned out to be as rotten?  I normally bought Chicken of the Sea or Progresso tuna (the Progresso brand seems to be fading away), but the single can of StarKist had found its way into my shopping bag by mistake.  I stuck it into my earthquake kit without thinking.

The supermarket I normally shop at is decidedly upscale and many items are a bit overpriced but the meat, seafood and produce are always fresh and top-notch quality.  A neighbor recently complained about having bought some frozen Tilapia at a big-box store which, on closer inspection, had come from China.  She was spooked and asked me if it would be safe to eat.  I advised her to cook the daylights out of it – it would be leathery but safe to consume.  We all need to look for the COOL before we buy, especially when the price is a lot cheaper than usual.  Always locate the “country of origin label”.  If the country of origin is not clearly marked use your discretion. Farm-raised Tilapia imported from China are often fed raw sewage.  According to a few sources the Chinese feed their fish farms by suspending wire chicken cages above the fish so the “poop” drops for the fish to feed on. These sources indicate they also use growth hormones and artificial coloring.  Some of their.crops are raised in people “poop”.  China is now the largest producer of garlic.  We advise you to check the supermarket label and buy garlic only with the US or Canada label.  There apparently are no stiff regulations about food safety in China.  One of my relatives who went there to learn Mandarin lost 24 pounds within a few months due to pollution, unhealthy conditions and bad food.

Check your supermarket signs and make sure you are buying local products for safety.  Honey is now being shipped from China in huge containers and repackaged here.  75% of it contains no pollen.  Green Giant frozen vegetables are being imported from China whereas Birdseye veggies are not. We advise not buying fish or shellfish from China, Vietnam or the Philippines..  Use caution too with canned goods such as mushrooms, Mandarin oranges and little fruit cups.  Dole products come from California and are safe.

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If your community has a Farmers Market, we advise buying fresh locally grown products.  Whole Foods has a huge supply of organic produce as well as well-marked meat and seafood.  (Always read the labels)  The tiny label on fruit is not really for use to signify safety for consumers.  The PLU label is really an aid for the store’s inventory system and checkout. Always look for the COOL – if you can’t find it, ask the store manager for the “country of origin label” information. In a rotten economy Americans are always looking for ways to economize and stretch our dollars.  Don’t let bargain prices jeopardize your health and the well-being of your family.

A brief addendum --have you noticed the cheese extravaganza going on in our supermarkets lately?  I wondered why this sudden love affair with cheese?  Did someone decide that cheese is healthy all of a sudden?  The honest answer about cheese? The markup on cheese is gigantic and our markets want to make bigger and better profits.  Between cheap Chinese-grown groceries and assets coming from big cheese we consumers must remain vigilante and refuse to become the clueless shoppers they think we are. Better safe than sick.

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