YOU WILL NO LONGER KNOW WHERE THE HELL YOUR MEATS COME FROM, AMERICANS!
IF MEAT CAME FROM CHINA, JAPAN, MEXICO, THAILAND, NORTH KOREA, ANYWHERE, YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE RIGHT TO SEE THAT ON A LABEL!
WHY?
IT'S A TRADE-OFF...OUR HEALTH VERSUS WALL STREET PROFITS AND TRADE RESTRICTIONS!
"Wednesday’s 300-131 vote repealing the country-of-origin labels for meat follows a series of rulings by the World Trade Organization finding the labeling discriminates against animals imported from Canada and Mexico.
Canada and Mexico won a final WTO ruling in May, and are now seeking retaliatory actions valued at a combined $3.7 billion a year. Canada has threatened trade restrictions on a range of U.S. products, including meat, wine, chocolate, jewelry and furniture.
Supporters of the House bill said a repeal of the labeling law is the only way to prevent retaliatory measures that could affect several U.S. industries.
Country-of-origin labels, known as COOL, were mandated by Congress in the 2002 and 2008 farm bills, and require meatpackers to identify where animals are born, raised and slaughtered. The information is then printed on meat packages sold in grocery stores. The labels aren’t required on meat sold in restaurants."Supporters of the House bill said a repeal of the labeling law is the only way to prevent retaliatory measures that could affect several U.S. industries.
KNOWING THAT THE MEAT WE'RE OFFERED COMES FROM A NATION LIKE CHINA IS DAMNED WELL IMPORTANT TO ME AND HUNDREDS WHOM I KNOW!
CHINA HAS SOME STRANGE PRACTICES IN PRODUCTION OF ALL FOODS THAT I DON'T WANT ANY PART OF.
BACK IN 2012, THE NEW YORK TIMES HIGHLIGHTED SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WITH CHINESE FOOD PRODUCTION:
An April report by China’s national broadcaster CCTV detailed the manufacturing process followed by 16 companies that sell preserved fruit. It made the meat-packing methods described by Upton Sinclair in “The Jungle” a century ago seem pale by comparison.
Rotten peaches pickled in outdoor pools surrounded by garbage are spiked with sodium metabisulfite to keep the fruit looking fresh and with bleaching agents and additives harmful to the human liver and kidneys. The peaches are packed in uncleaned bags that previously held animal feed and then shipped off to big-brands stores.
Baby formula adulterated with melamine is the best known, but there is also meat containing the banned steroid clenbuterol, rice contaminated with cadmium, noodles flavored with ink and paraffin, mushrooms treated with fluorescent bleach and cooking oil recycled from street gutters.
A 2011 study published in the Chinese Journal of Food Hygiene estimated that more than 94 million people in China become ill each year from bacterial food-borne diseases, leading to about 8,500 deaths annually.
China’s food-safety problems highlight both the collapse of the country’s business ethics and the failure of government regulators to keep pace with the expanding market economy. "
MAYBE CONGRESS DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THAT, BUT LET'S HAVE A SHOW OF HANDS OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO READ THAT AND WOULD STILL BUY CHINESE PEACHES OR ANYTHING ELSE FROM THERE!
The Challenges for Food Safety in China
1) Food-induced illnesses remain the supreme danger for public health;
2) New biological and chemical pollutants in food;
3) New food technologies and materials (such as transgenic food) raise new challenges;
4) The capacity for self-management among food producers is weak;
5) Food terrorism;
6) Slow food safety supervision by government organs.
A number of scandals during 2002 illustrate the severity of the situation3.
The government is facing pressure from consumer demand for safe food4.
Moreover, since China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), food imports and exports have increased, and disputes about food safety have arisen between China and its trading partners.
The European Union has refused Chinese food many times for reasons of safety5"
SUCH IS THE CASE FOR OTHER NATIONS.
SEVERAL NATIONS CURRENTLY HAVE BANS ON MANY FOOD ITEMS FROM JAPAN...WHO WANTS GLOW-IN-THE-DARK FOOD?
NOT UNTIL DECADES AFTER THAT DAIICHI PLANT STOPS LEAKING EVERY DAY WOULD I REMOTELY CONSIDER ONE GRAIN OF RICE FROM JAPAN AS SAFE FOOD.
CONGRESS, ESPECIALLY THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS WHO INCESSANTLY PUT WALL STREET AHEAD OF CONSUMERS, DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THAT!
"Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) has showed a strong interest in a repeal, but the top Democrat, Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, said Wednesday that she will oppose efforts to get rid of them altogether.
“I plan on working with my Senate colleagues to develop legislation that ensures consumers have information about where their food comes from while also meeting our international trade obligations,” Ms. Stabenow said.
Canada and Mexico contend that labeling requirements put their cows and pigs at a disadvantage—not because consumers snub their products but because U.S. meatpackers don’t want to go through the hassle and expense of tracking imported animals. As a result, meatpackers offer lower prices for hogs and cattle from Canada and Mexico.
Consumer advocates, among the biggest supporters of the labels, say international trade deals should not trump consumers’ access to information about their food.
“If Congress repeals [the labels], then the next time consumers go shopping for a steak or chicken for their families, they won’t be able to tell where that product came from,” said Chris Waldrop, director of the Food Policy Institute at Consumer Federation of America. “That’s completely unacceptable. Consumers want more information about their food, not less.”
YOU'RE BLOODY WELL RIGHT ON THAT, CHRIS! THE FDA REPEATEDLY ALLOWS INGREDIENTS IN AMERICAN FOODS THAT OTHER NATIONS, TRULY CONCERNED WITH THE HEALTH OF THEIR CITIZENS, HAVE LONG AGO BANNED!
FROM ABC NEWS, here are 11 ingredients noted as banned in other countries and what some experts have to say about them::
| 1~ Blue #1 food coloring |
Banned in Norway, Finland and France, Blue #1 and Blue #2 can be found in candy, cereal, drinks and pet food in the U.S.
Blue #1 was at one point banned in several other European countries
Blue #1 was at one point banned in several other European countries
Kellogg's did not reply to multiple requests for comment about its use of Blue #1 listed as an ingredient in some Nutrigrain bars.
| 2~ Blue #2 food coloring |
"Until the twentieth century, food coloring was obtained from natural sources," Jayson and Mira Calton write in "Rich Food, Poor Food."
Today, most artificial colors are made from coal tar."
Today, most artificial colors are made from coal tar."
A spokesman for MARS Candy Company, which uses heavy dyes in much of their products, said the concern about blue food dye's connection to brain cancer is "unproven," referring to studies in the 1980s with Blue #2 (WHICH SHOWED IT PRODUCED CANCEROUS BRAIN TUMORS CALLED GLIOMAS IN RATS).
"Gliomas were seen in the male rats, but with no dose-response, and at levels consistent with historical controls in the particular rat strain. No one has ever been able to find any real-world connection," Lowe wrote.
WELL, THAT IS NOT TRUE, AND A STROLL DOWN THE "PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC STUDIES" , AND AS THE Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) WOULD SHOW ANYONE WHO CARES TO LOOK JUST HOW MISINFORMED LOWE IS.
WELL, THAT IS NOT TRUE, AND A STROLL DOWN THE "PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC STUDIES" , AND AS THE Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) WOULD SHOW ANYONE WHO CARES TO LOOK JUST HOW MISINFORMED LOWE IS.
3~Yellow #5 (Tartazine), Yellow #6 food coloring
Yellow #5 is banned in Norway and Austria due to compounds benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl.
"Six of the eleven studies on yellow #5 showed that it caused genotoxicity, a deterioration of the cell's genetic material with potential to mutate healthy DNA."
Companies in the U.S. are required to list Yellow #5 in their ingredients because some people have sensitivity to it.
Benzidine and 4-minobiphenyl are two different names for the same compound, which is known as a human carcinogen.
| 4~ Red #40 |
"Red #40 may contain the carcinogenic contaminant p-Cresidine and is thought to cause tumors of the immune system. In the UK, it is not recommended for children.
The ingredient can be found in fruit cocktail, maraschino cherries, grenadine, cherry pie mix, ice cream, candy and other products.5~ Brominated vegetable oil
Brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, acts as an emulsifier in soda and sports drinks, preventing the flavoring from separating and floating to the surface. The ingredient is banned more than 100 countries because it contains bromine, a chemical whose vapors can be corrosive or toxic.
Brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, acts as an emulsifier in soda and sports drinks, preventing the flavoring from separating and floating to the surface. The ingredient is banned more than 100 countries because it contains bromine, a chemical whose vapors can be corrosive or toxic.
Lowe said the same chemical dangers of consuming a bromine directly can be said of chlorine.
Bromine-containing compounds can indeed cause bad reactions in people ...
6~ Azodicarbonamide
This ingredient, which can bleach flour, is banned in Australia, the U.K. and many European countries, said the Caltons, who call it an "asthma-causing" allergen. Up to 45 parts per million is considered safe in the U.S. and it's found in a wide range of breads and baked goods here.
6~ Azodicarbonamide
This ingredient, which can bleach flour, is banned in Australia, the U.K. and many European countries, said the Caltons, who call it an "asthma-causing" allergen. Up to 45 parts per million is considered safe in the U.S. and it's found in a wide range of breads and baked goods here.
7~ Potassium Bromate (Bromated flour)
Government regulatory bodies in Europe, Canada, China, and many other regions have banned the use of this additive. In California, if potassium bromate has been added, a product must carry a warning label.
Government regulatory bodies in Europe, Canada, China, and many other regions have banned the use of this additive. In California, if potassium bromate has been added, a product must carry a warning label.
| 8~ Olestra (Olean) |
Olestra fat substitute is banned in the U.K. and Canada because it causes a depletion of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoid.
It is found in Ruffles Light and Lay's WOW chips. Frito-Lay did not return a request for comment about its use of Olestra.
Lowe acknowledges that the non-caloric fat substitute interferes with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
9~ Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Banned in England, and other European countries, "these waxy solids act as preservatives to prevent food from becoming rancid and developing objectionable odors.
The state of California lists this ingredient as a possible carcinogen.
General Mills did not respond to a request about its use of BHT in Chex cereals.
10~ rBGH and rBST (THIS SHOULD BE #1!)
Recombinant bovine growth hormone and recombinant bovine somatotropin, a synthetic version of bovine growth hormone, can be found in nonorganic dairy products unless noted on the packaging.
However, several regions, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and the European Union, have banned rBGH and rBST because of their dangerous impacts on both human and bovine health.
American dairy producer, Stonyfield, opposes the use of rBST because of economics and cow health.
Recombinant bovine growth hormone and recombinant bovine somatotropin, a synthetic version of bovine growth hormone, can be found in nonorganic dairy products unless noted on the packaging.
However, several regions, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and the European Union, have banned rBGH and rBST because of their dangerous impacts on both human and bovine health.
American dairy producer, Stonyfield, opposes the use of rBST because of economics and cow health.
| 11~ Arsenic |
The Caltons warn about traces of arsenic, which has been banned in all foods in the EU, BUT can be found in some chicken feed HERE.
Last month, Johns Hopkins University scientists said they found amounts of arsenic in chicken that exceeded naturally occurring levels.
"ALL of the ingredients on the list pose a potential danger to consumers and we feel the consumer should be made aware so that they can make an informed decision as to whether or not they want to buy a product with these ingredients."
Julie Jones, a professor emeritus with St. Catherine University in Minnesota and author of the textbook, Food Safety, said what drives one country to ban a food and not another often has to do with as much politics as it does science.
AND WE KNOW THAT'S THE CASE IN AMERICA!
PROFITS OVER CONSUMER HEALTH, WHATEVER SERVES THE MEGA-CORPORATIONS WHO FUND CONGRESSMEN'S CAMPAIGNS!
FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE, "Food Additives & Contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, Analysis, Control, Exposure & Risk Assessment" (Taylor & Francis)
AND WE KNOW THAT'S THE CASE IN AMERICA!
PROFITS OVER CONSUMER HEALTH, WHATEVER SERVES THE MEGA-CORPORATIONS WHO FUND CONGRESSMEN'S CAMPAIGNS!
FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE, "Food Additives & Contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, Analysis, Control, Exposure & Risk Assessment" (Taylor & Francis)
"Pesticide residues, drug residues or contaminants (e.g. lead) are not addressed in detail.
[WHY THE HELL AREN'T THEY?
BECAUSE THEN THE TRUTH WOULD BE VISIBLE TO EVERYONE,
WITHOUT HAVING TO DIG FOR IT!]
A full list of included substances and their definitions according to each target country is provided.
[WHY THE HELL AREN'T THEY?
BECAUSE THEN THE TRUTH WOULD BE VISIBLE TO EVERYONE,
WITHOUT HAVING TO DIG FOR IT!]
A full list of included substances and their definitions according to each target country is provided.
With respect to safety evaluation of food additives the Committee again established sound key general principles.
They were:
(1) it is impossible to establish absolute proof of non-toxicity for all members of the human population;
(2) critically designed animal studies can provide a reasonable basis for evaluating the safety of food additives;
(3) the decision as to a safe level for a food additive should be based on knowledge of the minimum dietary level that produces no unfavourable response in test animals;
(4) decisions on the use of food additives must be based on the considered judgment of properly qualified scientists that the intake of the additive will be below any level which could be harmful to consumers;
(5) the fate of the additive during food processing and preparation should be considered because of the possible formation of toxic substances and interaction of the food additive with components of food or other food additives; and
(6) consideration should be given to groups within the population who for medical reasons may be especially vulnerable to certain food additives.
YES, THEY ADMIT SOME THINGS MAY HARM OR KILL SOME FOLKS, BUT WHAT'S A FEW DEATHS IF THE STOCK MARKET CLOSES ON A RECORD HIGH, RIGHT?
IF WALL STREET'S BIG BOYS ARE HAPPY, THAT'S ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS!
REMEMBER THIS AT ELECTION TIME, WILL YOU?
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