Made in China

It isn't that I am anti-China (is that a word?) but I find it alarming that so many more products and foodstuffs we consume are imported from and created in China. I understand about the cheap labor but believe me, I would be more than willing to pay ten times the amount I normally pay for sidewalk chalk if I could be assured that it doesn't have asbestos, lead, or any other dangerous chemical in it.

The other day while doing my weekly grocery shopping, I found these

http://www.ausometreats.com/home.php

and thought hmmmm.... thats not bad, 66% fruit ingredients ... not bad for a 'gummie'. No geletin, no artificial colors or preservatives, not even any HFCS. It even claims, right on the front, "Made from American Grown Fruit". I was attracted to that. It isn't like I'm all woo-hoo Gotta buy American, but I do believe that the USA does tend to be a tad more stringent on testing for safety when it comes to food.

And then, buried on the back, it says "Made responsibly in China". Booooo. I'm sure China is capable of making some products responsibly but geesh, they don't really have a superb track record nor are they forthcoming to owning up to their 'mistakes' when caught and evidence is presented against them.

A company (and country) that is willing to knowingly put lead into a child's trinket toy, or harmful chemicals in their milk forumla, or a mystery ingredient (yet to be identified) in flouride added to 40 Massachusetts community wells doesn't win any points in my book. I will still try to choose products Not Made in China and continue to advocate and write to companies who do. Sometimes, there just aren't other choices readily available to consumers but perhaps if more Americans are willing to be slightly inconvenienced and pay more for a safe product, some changes might happen.