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JennGM
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| Posted: July 03 2007 at 3:10pm | IP Logged
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My sister Celeste pointed me to news stories regarding the use of food ingredients coming from China that are tainted. First of all, I am frustrated to find out that there are no rules to state on ingredient labels that some ingredient items aren't from the US, and are imported. Secondly, how can we really safeguard ourselves from these dangers?
Here's one article from FDA and Washington Post.
Then there's the tainted toothpaste, the lead paint found in the wooden railway Thomas and Friends.
It's very, very hard to separate ourselves from Chinese products, because all processes and materials aren't marked. Sigh.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: July 03 2007 at 4:36pm | IP Logged
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It is frustrating, and scary.
I think that the best and most obvious way to protect ourselves would be to be as self-sufficient as possible (gardening, etc), and then buying as much locally produced products as possible.
But, that isn't always practical or even possible for some. So, we do what we can and hope for the best.
Oddly enough, my dh and I were just talking about this very issue being one of the things that attracts us about Alaska. It truly is an area where one can still live off of the land (and sea) fairly easily. The salmon and other fish are abundant (Alaska salmon are still safe, thank God)in rivers and the great expanse of sea, the looooong summer days make gardens flourish, moose and caribou are available to hunt, wild berries are practically everywhere in amazing quantities for picking and preserving, and with a little education one can find an abundance of other edible wild plants to harvest.
Here, self-sufficiency is not just a romantic dream, but really quite attainable. It is not at all unusual for folks here to have a pantry lined with canned salmon, tundraberry jelly, and pickled kelp, and a freezer full of moose, caribou, and halibut!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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asplendidtime
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| Posted: July 04 2007 at 8:45am | IP Logged
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Theresa,
I live in Alberta, "wild rose country" and they are everywhere, I have heard that wild rose hips are high in Vitamin C.... 'not sure if you have those in Alaska. Just a thought. What is dh planning to "do" there? Or are you homesteading?
Regarding Chinese food... For the last 10 years my dh's industry has been dying (Machining-Plastic Mold Making) because everything can be done more cheaply in China. Salesmen in dh's industry would just shake their heads after contract after contract was being lost to China. From what we saw on a documentary last year because there are so many new factories in China, their air and water pollution is becoming a very intense problem. They already have issues with having enough water, but it has become very polluted. Thus it is suspected that their produce (fruit, veg, etc...) are full of contaminants. Made me think twice about buying Mandarin Oranges at Christmas time this year. They are predicting that in the near furture China will no longer be able to produce any types of food, but it will all need to be imported. Imagine the widespread hunger that would cause. 
'Hope nobody is offended by my words. It is one of those awful lose/lose situations... Everyone seems to lose out.
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Rebecca~Mama to
Noah 17,
Katie 16,
Mary 14,
Tim 13,
Jonah 12,
Josh 10,
Zoe 9,
Will 7,
Peter 6,
Laura-Mae 4,
Emily-Joy 2,
Genevieve & Gabriella 1
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: July 05 2007 at 3:11am | IP Logged
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Rebecca, I will keep an eye out for the roses. I am certain there must be some type of wild rose here. I know we saw them when we were on the Alaska mainland 2 years ago. This (Kodiak) being an island, you never know.
We are not homesteading (yet), but we do want to live as self-sufficiently as possible once we move here for good, and are exploring the many possibilities for that. Currently Dh works in the ER at the local hospital. We need outside employment to keep me and the kids in books!LOL!
My goal for next week is to track down some resources for learning about the indigenous culture here so we can learn more about harvesting edible native plants. I've learned a bit so far, but it would be nice to have a native mentor.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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asplendidtime
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| Posted: July 05 2007 at 7:53am | IP Logged
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Oh yes Theresa! What an adventure! I grew up in Northern Ontario, my dad was a policeman and was transferred there. And we had to be taught out of necessity how to survive (just in case we wandered off) in the deep forest. I was taught over and over about things we could find and eat. It is amazing what there is that you can make use of.
My dad used to take us walking in the woods, and I would pick something and eat it, he'd say "Hey, how do you know you can eat that?" and I'd say "Oh those are just bunch berries, we learned about that at camp..." He'd be a little horrified...  But he thought it was neat that we knew that.
We live in Central Alberta now. I find it difficult to cope a bit with the long dark winters, but summertime is so lovely. Anyway, I need to make more IRL friends and I think the winters wouldn't bother me so.
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Rebecca~Mama to
Noah 17,
Katie 16,
Mary 14,
Tim 13,
Jonah 12,
Josh 10,
Zoe 9,
Will 7,
Peter 6,
Laura-Mae 4,
Emily-Joy 2,
Genevieve & Gabriella 1
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Chinese Ingredients
