Food from outside U.S. raises flags

Published 2:41 pm Friday, April 11, 2008

The April 3 article, “Skagit Valley cucumber growers in a pickle without Portland processing plant,” is yet another instance of the outsourcing of our economy, though this one, to me, is much more worrisome.

I noticed the “Product of India” awhile back on a jar of Steinfeld’s pickles, which triggered my own investigation. As the Associated Press story pointed out, Steinfeld’s, along with Nalley, Farman’s, Peter Pieper and brands unfamiliar to us in the Northwest, are all owned by Bay Valley Foods, which controls a significant portion of the U.S. pickle market. Though technically legal advertising, using slogans like “Down home taste of the Northwest since 1918,” “Delicious taste of the Northwest since 1944” and “Quality brand of the Northwest since 1922,” are grossly misleading.

The fact that cows are sacred in India and may urinate/defecate wherever they want at will is enough alone to make me concerned about the safety of any food coming from India. Just look at the problems we’ve had with Chinese imports!

At any rate, I have imposed my own personal boycott on most foods (as well as other goods) imported from outside the U.S. (it must be stated on the label, by law), especially from third-world countries, no matter whose brand name is on the label. I encourage others to do the same.

It’s obvious from past scandals involving Chinese goods that inadequate measures exist to assure the same level of quality and safety as U.S. produce adheres to, and if a sufficient number of consumers boycott these goods, the producers will think twice about continuing to shift their production outside the U.S. After all, it may be cheaper to produce goods in third-world countries, but if they don’t sell it, it is infinitely more expensive than producing them here in the U.S.

Dave Martson