I posted this on another related thread......I would at least like to know where things come from and have the opportunity not to buy something that contains ingredients from certain countries (specifically China), so I just wrote the following to Steve Buyer, my congressman:
“In light of the recent pet food contamination that resulted in the poisoning and death of thousands of America’s pets with melamine-laced wheat and rice gluten products from China, I respectfully request that Congress REQUIRE ALL HUMAN AND PET FOOD MANUFACTURERS to LIST ALL OF THE COUNTRIES that contributed ingredients to any product (including vitamins, minerals, and nutritional supplements) sold in the United States ON THE PRODUCT”S LABEL.”
BTTT
I just looked at my bottle of milk thistle tabs. The links posted in the post above(first one specifically), lists milk thistle among quite a few herbal remedies imported from China. All it said on my label was the US manufacturer/distributor.
I agree that listing the country of origin for the raw material should be done immediately. I live in CA, so you know who my reps are :(
I would be willing, in light of China’s refusal to let us inspect their plants/operations, to pay more for inspected products.
I wouldn't hold my breath for that to happen -- some foods would have a list so long that they'd have to attach a folder to the product. And it's not just the country of origin that's of concern; many US companies have moved processing plants to China due to the cheap labor and lax environmental regulations. Example: some salmon from the US is canned in China and sold in Europe, while some salmon from Russia is canned in China and sold in the US. Just labeling the country of origin wouldn't tell us where the salmon has spent most of its afterlife before hitting the supermarket shelf.