Killing Us Slowly

I know that stocks are tumbling. I know that the House voted down the bailout. I know that the entire US economy is on the verge collapse. Whatever. Let’s talk about something important, here.

Can we all agree that we want US companies to get the heck out of China and stop poisoning us? Can we? CAN WE???

The latest in China’s baby-killing poisonous formula scare is, now, chocolates that are sold in the US have been found to also contain the industrial chemical melamine. And not just some obscure chocolate that you can only buy at the dollar store, but Cadbury.

Cadbury. I am quite sure that not being able to eat a Cadbury bar with out fear of dying from poisonous Chinese chemicals is one of the signs of the apocalypse.

This mess is just unreal.

We have endured poisonous pet food, cough syrup, toothpaste, TOYS, more toys, even more toys, and now chocolate. What will it take to stop America’s reliance on Chinese goods?

Speaking of poisonous pet food, melamine, the chemical found in the tainted dairy and chocolate products, is the SAME chemical that was in the pet food.

Why does this problem exist? How come everything that comes from China is poisonous?

Authorities say suppliers might have added melamine, which is rich in nitrogen, to watered-down milk to deceive quality tests for protein.

This stuff is done intentionally to produce a cheaper product.

Last year when the toy AquaDots was putting children in comas, it was because the Chinese plant where they were made used a cheaper chemical in place of the safe(r) chemical that was supposed to be used. (I do not think any chemical that makes dots sticky when sprayed with water is safe for a children’s toy, but that is just my opinion.)

The thing that really bothers me about the situation is that many times we do not know that our products contain components that are made in China.

Did you know that 80% of ascorbic acid comes from China? Ascorbic acid (vitamin c) is used in so much of the food we buy, including fruit beverages and meats.

Did you know that China produces 75% of the world’s garlic? That means, for any product you purchase that contains garlic as an ingredient, that garlic probably came from China.

The [Americans for Wholesome Food]’s report, based on independent lab tests, found “high levels of lead, arsenic and added sulfites in two supermarket-brand imported garlic powders from store shelves.”

(You can buy California garlic powder, granules, or minced at the Atlantic Spice Company for great bulk rates. Their spices will rock your taste buds.)

I’m not looking for a government mandate here. What I am looking for is good old fashioned American common sense.

Call, e-mail, or write to your favorite companies and demand that they stop poisoning our food supply with Chinese products.

Although, I would argue that this is not outside of the scope of government intervention. This is a matter of public health and safety and, as long as China is able to flood markets with under-priced products, thereby putting US competitors out of business, consumer action alone might not be able to make much of a difference.