The China Syndrome

Another day, another headline about toys from China being recalled because of high levels of lead. This, on the tail of tainted pet food, toothpaste and more. When a doctor of mine recommended a particular supplement, I asked if she could suggest a brand that wasn't maufactured in China. She couldn't. Obviously, my first instinct is to avoid anything from China. Yet, distribution by middlemen and lack of clear labeling means identifying the source of origin is not so easy.

Well, now I have more information at my fingertips. This round-up of information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau, The New York Times, National Public Radio, and the Congressional Budget Office about items from China ran recently in my local paper. Turns out that:

* 80% of all toys sold in the U.S. are made in China. Changes my plans about holiday shopping, I can tell you that for sure.

* 21% of all seafood imported into the United States comes from China. Can you say wild Alaskan salmon, or nothing, for my family?

* One-third of the world's vitamin A and most of the B-12, as well as other health food supplements, come from China. That keeps me focused on grass-fed, pastured meats (and nutritional yeast for me) for B-12, and locally-grown vitamin A-loaded foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, collard greens, kale, sweet peppers, winter squash, cantaloupe (like the one in the photo above from my garden), and spinach (and not the just-recalled-this-week-from-California-packages).

* More than half the apple juice supplied to the US comes from China. Whether you are on the East coast or the West coast of the U.S., you can source apple juice (or, at least, nice crisp apples) regionally (although the Georgia crop this year supposedly got wiped out in the spring frost).

* 80% of the world's Vitamin C? You guessed it--China. Good thing there's organic orange juice just a state away for me.

So, to me, this is all food for thought for those busy days when I think I can get all my vitamins from a bowl of fortified cereal. Investing in my local foodshed, nourishing and expanding my garden, and being aware of source of origin are all important ways to improve and protect food--and national--security.

The China Syndrome