Do You Trust Produce From China?

By ⋅ November 1, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment
Baby in supermarket (Photo: fazen/Flickr)

Baby in supermarket (Photo: fazen/Flickr)

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More than ever before, Chinese products are filling the shelves of American supermarkets.

China hasn’t always had the best reputation with food safety.

Should we trust it? Or is it a problem of perception?

Host Marco Werman talks with Mitch Lipka, the consumer columnist with the Boston Globe and Reuters.

Issues of food safety have global ramifications. Which got us wondering about the precautions YOU might take at the supermarket.

Are there certain imported foods that you stay away from?

Or maybe it’s food from a specific country that sets off alarm bells for you?

We want to know what influences your decisions at the store – produce, or country of origin?

Post your thoughts below.

Discussion

29 comments for “Do You Trust Produce From China?”

  • http://www.theworld.org The World

    What influences your decisions at the store – produce, or country of origin?

    • Anonymous

      country of origin…always…

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1197931047 Elizabeth Wahl

    I do not buy any food product from China because I am concerned about corruption in the inspection process there. I also try to buy local as much as possible. My exceptions to this rule are foods I really love and that are healthy: blueberries, raspberries, and other fresh fruit which I do buy imported from Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand. After listening to your show, I’m going to be doing more shopping at Trader Joe’s and checking the labels for frozen foods and juice.

  • Anonymous

    I do a bit of both. It’s not that I don’t trust items from China, necessarily, for their safety. I try to buy produce that is grown locally because it is more environmentally-sound that way.

  • Anonymous

    Ever check the label on the Apple Juice served at McDonald’s Children’s Meal?  Yes, from China!

  • Anonymous

    Check out the label on the Apple Juice served as part of the Children’s Meal at McDonalds.  Yes, from China….

  • Anonymous

    I look, but my wife does not.  We live in Washington state and have to search the grocery shelves to find apple juice from within the USA, much less Washington!  Most is labeled Chile and China.

    If I eat pine nuts (pinon) from China I develop a syndrome that causes everything I eat to have a bitter, dirt like flavor.  I love pesto but it’s virtually impossible to find pinon nuts from anywhere but China in Washington state.

    • Anonymous

      Those pine nuts sold at Trader Joe,s [ which says they do NOT sell foods from China } are the culprit . They are labeled “from Vietnam or Russia “, but are really from China.

  • Anonymous

    I look, but my wife does not.  We live in Washington state and have to search the grocery shelves to find apple juice from within the USA, much less Washington!  Most is labeled Chile and China.

    If I eat pine nuts (pinon) from China I develop a syndrome that causes everything I eat to have a bitter, dirt like flavor.  I love pesto but it’s virtually impossible to find pinon nuts from anywhere but China in Washington state.

  • http://twitter.com/OrganicLiving9 Organic Living

    I prefer to buy organic & non-GMO (non-genetically modified organism) produce grown in the US as I have higher confidence of US regulator & farmers. I try to avoid food from China and definitely avoid organic food (i.e. Organic Edamame sold in Costco and Trader Joes) from China as I don’t trust the Chinese system in ensuring organic food adhering to global organic food standard. 

    • Robert Incredible

      i thought the report said, trader joe’s doesn’t carry any chinese products?

    • Robert Incredible

      i thought the report said, trader joe’s doesn’t carry any chinese products?

  • http://twitter.com/OrganicLiving9 Organic Living

    I prefer to buy organic & non-GMO (non-genetically modified organism) produce grown in the US as I have higher confidence of US regulator & farmers. I try to avoid food from China and definitely avoid organic food (i.e. Organic Edamame sold in Costco and Trader Joes) from China as I don’t trust the Chinese system in ensuring organic food adhering to global organic food standard. 

  • Anonymous

    I do not buy any food product from China because I, too, am concerned about
    corruption in the inspection process there. Non food items also. We buy local as much as possible and go without if the only choice is from out of the country. This includes my beloved smoked oysters!
    After hearing the report on the tomato industry in Florida, I also choose not to have tomatoes I haven’t grown or bought from a local grower.

  • Anonymous

    As with most things currently being produced in China, it is quanity and not quality being exported. I shop around any food items that originate there. Go Trader Joe’s!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=29703992 Christopher Pratt

    I don’t eat anything but American shrimp after hearing a story about deplorable Asian shrimp farms. For produce I try to go American or at best, local. I buy American when its available, and unless absolutely necessary I go without if I know its from china. I just do not trust Chinese regulation.

  • Anonymous

    I fear that, like most exports from China these days, the goal is quantity vs. quality. I would not be at all comfortable consuming food originating there. Go Trader Joe’s!

  • Anonymous

    If it comes from China, I will not buy it unless it is labeled “Organic.”  That way I know it has been through the USDA rigorous certification process.  This means it is not genetically modified, it has been produced without toxic pesticides and no chemical fertilizers were used in its production.  If you look at what you are really buying, organic is cheap.

  • Anonymous

    I do not trust any food or food products sourced from or originating in China. I read all labels of produce, meat, processed and canned foods before buying no matter what store I’m in. I have changed my eating habits due to my greater awareness of food safety and sanitary-phytosanitary (SPS) standards, certification and labeling. If I have the opportunity to purchase directly from a local producer I will.  

  • Anonymous

    a year ago january i noticed bags of frozen produce/veggies in trader joe’s freezer…from china. i told the manager they were on the wrong track. we had plenty of green peas in america. they did stop buying all frozen produce from china.   as per your show, i do trust whole foods.,i worked there for a while…but still don’t buy anything to eat,drink,brush my teeth with,etc. from china….

  • http://twitter.com/brookgarden Vicki Hurst

    I only buy produce from U.S. and Canada. In fact, I try to avoid buying anything from China – they already get too much of our money.

  • http://twitter.com/brookgarden Vicki Hurst

    I only buy produce from U.S. and Canada. In fact, I try to avoid buying anything from China – they already get too much of our money.

  • http://www.theworld.org The World

     Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JDIK3QWT6TRFMM3KFUP2SU6SN4 johne

    never china.
    all other 2nd and 3rd world countries with caution.

  • Robert Incredible

    No  1) I don’t trust the safety.2) I want to support local farmers.3) The carbon footprint is lower on local and U.S. produce.It’s a WIN,WIN,WIN

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XNZLHPTDUA2MUYI6TYIRE3WNVA Busba

    If you eat fish from vietnam, you are like eating viet stools. Viets installed toilette over fish farm for their fish, even tourists contributes to it. And I don’t need the over used of other antibiotic and other chemical agents dangerous for health. And it’s not only limit to fishs but other products from Vietnam as well. So before you eat food from Vietnam make sure that you are not eating vietcong waste  or other kind of poison

  • http://www.facebook.com/jwinterson Joshua Winterson

    My wife and I are in Australia, and we do look to see where the food originates, and we usually avoid Chinese produce, because of fears of contamination of the food chain there.  I don’t think we are racist, because my wife is from the Philippines, and we are pretty broad-minded about our cuisine, and try a lot of different food from around the world. But we have read of so many terrible abuses of the supply system over there, and there does still seem to be a widespread lack of concern with public health and hygiene in China.  We also worry about their supply system of food-grade plastic; it does not seem to be of good quality. Hopefully they are improving; until then we feel cautious.

  • ruchama burrell

    We are Jews who keep kosher.  This means that any processed food must have a symbol on the can or package identifying kosher supervising organization (hechsher).  There are disputes as to the reliability of some of these organizations and about what constitutes a  processed food, for example does coconut milk need a hechsher?  Do vegetables packed in water with only salt and acidic acids added?  Still it’s quite helpful to be able to check and determine that someone other than the processor is overseeing the processing and verifying the ingredients.  We try to buy produce that has traveled as short a distance as possible and do try to avoid Chinese produce.  It’s virtually impossible to find dried mushrooms from any other source and even most fresh shitake mushrooms are from China here in California.  We do pay a much higher price in order to buy mushrooms from California, or even Canada as opposed to China.  Same with fresh ginger.  We pay more for the ginger from Hawaii.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ronnie-Modena/100003055676324 Ronnie Modena

    Great interview.  I am going to be be more diligent about reading labels.  Thanks!