I've admitted before that I am a Whole Foods devotee (I know, I know). Of course I venture to Publix and Target for other grocery staples, but most of my weekly food shopping is done at WF. This past week I was out of apple juice, and found myself in Target and picked up a bottle. As I was pouring the juice, I noticed a black stamp across the side of the juice carton and was a bit floored. My son's apple juice was MADE IN CHINA! I am cool with MIC clothes and other items- but my toddler's apple juice coming from the land of tainted baby formula and lead-laced toys? I was not happy. So I began thoroughly examining each and every label of just about everything in our house. I had been fooled by labels that state 'distributed by...' and normally lists a U.S. location. However, it is the black stamp printed on the side of cans and bottles which will tell you where the item was actually made. In my continuing research, I went to Publix to check out what their organic apple juice listed. It too, was 'distributed in the U.S.A.', but the stamp said it was made in Turkey (much preferable to China, I must admit). Then I went to WF, where the apple juice listed that it was made in the U.S. Which I guess left me feeling justified in spending the extra money I spend there, but still, this whole thing has got me examining the label of everything. It makes me a bit angry that I have to be such a vigilant consumer to ensure I'm eating food that I feel good about, but I suppose it's worth the extra effort in the end. Does it bother you to eat food products from China?
And on another aside- is anyone else bothered by the number of magazines closing? Just got word that Southern Accents has bit the dust. It wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but I could appreciate a lot of the beautiful southern design it showcased.
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7 comments:
Yes, I heard that too and was bummed! There are a few other favorites that are saying farewell.
Sara - yes to both questions.
Our family lived in China for four years and we are still getting over the horrific items we probably ingested (in between ingesting some pretty wonderful stuff, too).
Magazines closing? Don't even start me. I'm heart broken. And if they're closing due to uninerested readers... well blow me down with a feather. Some of the most exquisite mags ever have closed - Domino and MS Kids being cases in point.
Thanks for this post, I shop at Target quite a lot. I'm checking the labels a lot more closely now. THANKS!!
I also like checking labels to see where things are made, and try to buy 'local' when possible. I found this book on the subject to be an interesting read: A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy by Sara Bongiorni.
check your chocolates too!! We never buy the cheap stuff, but well meaning gift givers (think pre-packaged gift baskets, novelties & cheap halloween candy) have given me china-chocolate before! Hershey's is perfectly well priced if expense is an issue and made much closer to home!!!
I purchase local as often as possible - usually from the farmer's market when it comes to apple juice. When I lived in Maryland I was able to buy it from the Amish farmer's markets there and from various apple farms, and they sell THE BEST apple juice HAND'S DOWN. I miss it.
I have spoken to so many people about the whole magazine issue. Domino and Blueprint were some of my favorites that are gone :O(
Believe it or not, it's pretty hard to find apple juice not made in China in my area. I've just stopped buying it completely, which is a bummer because I love it. Glad to hear someone else noticed this as well!
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