Posted on 09/16/2007 2:02:29 PM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
Matsutake mushrooms imported from China have been shunned by consumers this year due to concerns over the safety of Chinese food.
Some stores have switched to selling matsutake from North America after seeing the sales of Chinese imports fall by half from last year.
One retailer expressed regret about the fall in sales of matsutake--the mushroom touted as the king of autumn food--saying: "The quality of Chinese matsutake is good. So I can't understand why sales are so bad."
Saitama-based Co-op Net, an organization comprising consumers' cooperative societies in Tokyo and seven neighboring prefectures, stopped selling Chinese matsutake in August, despite having sold such imports until last year.
"With distrust in Chinese food safety growing, we've determined there is little demand [for Chinese matsutake] among members of our cooperatives," a Co-op Net spokesman said.
Sales of Chinese matsutake at Hankyu Department Stores Inc.'s Oi Shokuhinkan store in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, have plunged more than 50 percent both in value and volume from last year.
Since mid-August, the store has offered 100-gram packs of two to three Chinese matsutake for 800 yen to 1,000 yen, but despite being cheaper than usual, fewer customers have bought them.
A Hankyu employee in charge of selling vegetables said many customers have asked employees at the store about the safety of Chinese fruit and vegetables, in addition to queries about matsutake.
In September, another department store in Tokyo replaced Chinese matsutake, following poor sales in July and August, with those from North America and South Korea.
According to the Forestry Agency, last year's matsutake imports from China stood at 1,198 tons, accounting for about 70 percent of such imports.
Companies importing Chinese matsutake are required to check whether the amount of herbicide on the mushrooms is below the legally required level.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's quarantine stations also examine samples to ensure safety.
However, with growing concerns over China's food safety, even sales of Chinese eels have fallen.
An employee of Tokyo Seika Co., a wholesaler in Ota Ward, Tokyo, said that unlike last year, this year has produced a good crop of matsutake in China, ensuring prices were reasonable, but retailers complained that Chinese food products are being shunned because of their bad image and that even low prices cannot boost sales.
Domestic production of matsutake came to 64.8 tons two years ago, but this year, their growth has been delayed by the hot summer and drought.
As such, domestic matsutake are five times to 10 times more expensive than Chinese matsutake.
With consumers unwilling to buy low-price Chinese matsutake due to food safety concerns, and falling domestic production pushing up prices, the price of the vegetable is likely to become unaffordable for many.
My wife is a big-time fan of matsutake and says the main reason the Chinese matsutake are not selling is they do not seem to have the aroma or flavor like the excellent matsutake from Oregon, Washington and also Canada.
The cost of these things is outrageous. We just sent some U.S. matsutake to Japan for just about $100.00 per pound.
I don't doubt that you're right, nor did I doubt him, but the Chinese might not be growing theirs under a pine tree. They've used raw sewage as fertilizer and have been growing some things in the sewage. That report came out of China, so I'm not going to doubt them. It's probably one of a few things that they've been telling us the truth about. The white mushrooms are the ones grown in the dark in barns.
It sure does. I think a lot of it is because it's dark and gives off a musky smell.
The mushroom barns look very similar, from the outside, to chicken houses.
Exactly! My grandpa was a chicken farmer and his chicken barns looked just like the ones I've seen used for mushrooms.
They might as well stamp it - Approved by the ChiCom government: Eat this and die sooner.
I was referring only to Matsutake mushrooms . I don’t doubt for a moment that the Chicoms are growing other stuff in raw sewage .
Hint: Maybe it is the ka-ka they use to grow them.
How much different is the “ka-ka” in China than that in North America?
“How much different is the “ka-ka” in China than that in North America?”
Our sh*t doesn’t stink.
That is too ripe a comment............I think I'll leave it be :)
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