Catering to the Masses

So this is scary, Whole Foods Market is importing some of their organic foods from China. http://wewantorganicfood.com/2009/02/06/whole-foods-market-california-by-way-of-china/

Immediately, I ran to my freezer and cupboards to check where all the food was from. Normally, I just read the signs for the fresh fruits and vegetables and REALLY try to only buy ‘grown in the USA’ because at least the FDA regulates (and I say that lightly) the food grown here.  It never occurred to me to check the labels of the frozen veggies and fruit or the pantry items I buy.  I just assumed it was made here.  I mean, why wouldn’t it be?

I discovered in my freezer that the Whole Foods 365 Brand of frozen broccoli florets I bought were in fact, ‘Made in China’.    I quickly got my receipt and ran (okay, walked slowly, I had AJ with me) back to Whole Foods to return my broccoli.  Thankfully, they didn’t ask why.  It took everything in me not to unleash to the person at the returns counter.  With all the wonderful farmland and different climates the US has to offer it’s sad that we’re importing vegetables and fruit that can be grown in our own backyards.

If you’ve been following my blogs, you know I’m not a fan of Whole Foods because they keep expired food on their shelves.  I’ve also had to return ground meats to the store because they smelled terrible when I opened them at home.  Since returning the broccoli, I have decided not to shop there.  I now buy my organic produce and dairy at Trader Joe’s or the farmer’s markets.  I haven’t figured out where I’m getting my meats yet.  I’ve stopped shopping at Whole Foods and definitely feel betrayed by their high prices for everything, not just their organic products.

Today my mother sent me this email about reading bar codes on your food to see if it was produced in China or Taiwan.

BAR CODES

If the first 3 digits of the barcode are 690, 691 or 692, the product is MADE IN CHINA. 471 is Made in Taiwan . This is our right to know, but the government and related departments never educate the public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves. Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products “MADE IN CHINA”, so they don’t show from which country it is made.
However, you may now refer to the barcode, remember if the first 3 digits are:

690-692 – MADE IN CHINA 
00-09 — USA & CANADA
30-37 — FRANCE 40-44 — GERMANY 47 —— TAIWAN
49 —— JAPAN
50 —— UK BUY USA by watching for “0″ at the beginning of the number. We need every boost we can get! In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else and perhaps even their job.

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