Imported Foods

[Heart2Soul]

Hi forum, I am NOT writing this OP to cause panic and fear....only awareness.
So here I am in my kitchen preparing to make tuna salad...i was opening 2 cans of tuna that I bought at WalMart....and I had a thought to see where this tuna is processed and packaged because it had such a strong fishy smell. Yes, I know, tuna stinks...but this was very strong.

It is a WalMart label called Great Value.
I used to be a "name brand" only shopper but prices are skyrocketing so I have had to give up my name brands.
Well come to find out it comes from Taiwan....
I used to work in the food industry and was a safety Inspector as well....so naturally I wanted to know how they inspect their food processing to ensure quality and safety. I found this article on it...not extremely alarming...however, it only provides dates of the last decade and a half.
Asian countries are noted for dumping chemical waste into the oceans...well in that article it cited chemical toxins as a main issue.
So.now I am thoroughly peeved....WalMart needs to think about their customers and not their profit margin...going to email them tomorrow....okay that's all I am done ranting.
Major food safety episodes in Taiwan: Implications for the necessity of international collaboration on safety assessment and management - ScienceDirect

 

[Rita]

I believe your Walmart stores are the same as our Asda ones, possibly owned by the same people. We have so many rules and regulations with food now, so not sure how they get round some of them but pretty sure they do. So did you eat the tuna? Rita

 

[Heart2Soul]

I believe your Walmart stores are the same as our Asda ones, possibly owned by the same people. We have so many rules and regulations with food now, so not sure how they get round some of them but pretty sure they do. So did you eat the tuna? Rita

Not yet, but I have in the past....and here's the catcher...these toxins aren't listed and many toxins are known to cause cancer, alzheimers. organ failure and and so forth.
In that report they were cited once for cooking oil containing large amounts of arsenic.

 

[Heart2Soul]

I believe your Walmart stores are the same as our Asda ones, possibly owned by the same people. We have so many rules and regulations with food now, so not sure how they get round some of them but pretty sure they do. So did you eat the tuna? Rita

I did finish making the salad...and tasted it..(quality assurance..lol)...it taste like it always does.
But about 6 months ago I bought some great value frozen peas and carrots...their was a small worm in it. Kind of like what you see inside an apple or pecan.

 

[Rita]

I did finish making the salad...and tasted it..(quality assurance..lol)...it taste like it always does.
But about 6 months ago I bought some great value frozen peas and carrots...their was a small worm in it. Kind of like what you see inside an apple or pecan.

Oh thats gross !!

 

[Rita]

Not yet, but I have in the past....and here's the catcher...these toxins aren't listed and many toxins are known to cause cancer, alzheimers. organ failure and and so forth.
In that report they were cited once for cooking oil containing large amounts of arsenic.

Do the food companies have to label all the ingredients over there, by law. I know that we cannot have certain items from the USA because of the High sugar content , can’t remember what it was now.

Rita

 

[Heart2Soul]

Do the food companies have to label all the ingredients over there, by law. I know that we cannot have certain items from the USA because of the High sugar content , can’t remember what it was now.

Rita

I read in that report that they passed that law that all ingredients be listed in early 2000 something...but the labels are from the packaging company...the food may or may not be processed at the same place.

 

[quietthinker]

I did finish making the salad...and tasted it..(quality assurance..lol)...it taste like it always does.
But about 6 months ago I bought some great value frozen peas and carrots...their was a small worm in it. Kind of like what you see inside an apple or pecan.

yeah, apples are good for worms. If weren't for people eating the apples we'd have more worms.

 

[JohnDB]

The FDA and USDA are Nazis about food safety and security.

But that's their job.

American groceries, grains, and meats feed 60% of the world population.
Better quality and prices than any other producers. Except for fresh produce. That's a much more volatile market.

 

[TheslightestID]

I did finish making the salad...and tasted it..(quality assurance..lol)...it taste like it always does.
But about 6 months ago I bought some great value frozen peas and carrots...their was a small worm in it. Kind of like what you see inside an apple or pecan.

Eww.

I think they get around that by marking the package "Fortified with assorted protein"

 

[Heart2Soul]

Eww.

I think they get around that by marking the package "Fortified with protein"

Lol...

 

[Heart2Soul]

The FDA and USDA are Nazis about food safety and security.

But that's their job.

American groceries, grains, and meats feed 60% of the world population.
Better quality and prices than any other producers. Except for fresh produce. That's a much more volatile market.

Yes, I agree that we have a strict inspection protocol and that all retailers of food and drugs are held to a very high standard of operation.
But Tawain's government isn't as strict.
Just something we should check out before feeding it to our kids.
And as I shared their EPA, if they have one, is very lax concerning ocean dumping of chemicals and such.

 

[farouk]

@Heart2Soul So what about those of us who don't actually live in the US?

 

[Heart2Soul]

@Heart2Soul So what about those of us who don't actually live in the US?

I don't know if you get imported foods or not but it's always wise to check the company out...where it comes from makes a big difference. Some countries have such a lower standard of food handling than America.
And like that article said chemical toxins were the most reported incidents in Taiwan.

 

[JohnDB]

Yes, I agree that we have a strict inspection protocol and that all retailers of food and drugs are held to a very high standard of operation.
But Tawain's government isn't as strict.
Just something we should check out before feeding it to our kids.
And as I shared their EPA, if they have one, is very lax concerning ocean dumping of chemicals and such.

The USDA inspects and tests foods coming into the States. Fresh meats are not allowed unless they are certified by freezing or salt. (Prosciutto or Bresola)
Fish like you are discussing is cooked and tested by lot. (A can or two is picked at random and tested for various things)

Things like garlic and honey are tested for various things...but it's getting more difficult as the importers are figuring out ways to circumvent the tests. (Honey diluted down with rice syrups)

Most of the foods we export are in large container packaging. (55gal barrel of honey)
Or in freezer pallets.

 

[quietthinker]

The FDA and USDA are Nazis about food safety and security.

But that's their job.

American groceries, grains, and meats feed 60% of the world population.
Better quality and prices than any other producers. Except for fresh produce. That's a much more volatile market.

one thing that did surprise me when I travelled your country was the inability to get decent bread. everything I found was a spongy over sugared arrangement I would never call bread.

 

[amadeus]

Eww.

I think they get around that by marking the package "Fortified with assorted protein"

Or provide a warning for very strict vegetarians!

 

[amadeus]

one thing that did surprise me when I travelled your country was the inability to get decent bread. everything I found was a spongy over sugared arrangement I would never call bread.

It has improved if you are willing to pay for it. I remember during my year in Germany I learned to appreciate two things: good bread and good beer. When I returned to the USA, I had to search carefully for good bread and in those days good American brewed beer was, for me, impossible to find. Things have improved over the years, but not without cost!

 

[JohnDB]

one thing that did surprise me when I travelled your country was the inability to get decent bread. everything I found was a spongy over sugared arrangement I would never call bread.

That bread is basically a baked sponge.

The real bread is located in the deli section of the supermarket.

 

[Nancy]

Walmart is not a place I shop at. At least, as little as possible. They are so corrupt that they stamp "Made In America" on their "boxes"...but the product itself is made in China. People think they are purchasing an American made product when it was only the box itself that was made in the U.S.

They love to tout how many they employ but, you don't hear how they do not take care of them. They, many anyhow, are still having to get Medicaid, food stamps and such, as Walmart does not have bennies.
The last time I was there was about 2 years ago and, when I slid my card through the thingy, someone happened to intercept it and charged $800.00 on my card. I did get it back as, my credit union covered it. I don't trust them and will not give them my business. They use market place insurance which is not cost effective or beneficial to have. It may be a reduced monthly premium but the coverage is practically nothing. Yep, mom and pop stores have been pushed out Purchace local!!! JMHO