Hightower Lowdown

Meanwhile, people are upset that a chemical additive in pet food imported from China is poisoning their little Fidos and Fluffies. The same additive has also been found in feed for chickens and hogs. Why isn't the FDA protecting us? Well, inspections by the Food and Drug Administration are a cruel joke. Some 9 million shiploads of foreign food came into our ports last year, yet the FDA sampled only about 20,000. That's barely one percent! Foreign suppliers know this, so they've turned America into an easyaccess dumping ground for fish, grains, fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and other foods tainted with everything from cancer-causing toxins to illegal veterinary drugs. In the past decade, food shipments from elsewhere to our ports have more than doubled, with shipments from China nearly quintupling. We already have a massive trade imbalance with the Chinese--why increase it by buying catfish, nuts, wheat products, and other common foods that our own farmers produce in abundance...and with great quality? Can you say, Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart, giant supermarket food chains, and the big food processors from our own country are steadily abandoning American farmers to get cheaper commodities and packaged goods from China and other countries where farmers, workers, and the environment are easily exploited. That's what these retailers and processors mean by "cheap" foodstuffs. By the way, these are the same corporations that are trying to kill legislation requiring food imports to be labeled by country of origin. To avoid bad imports, buy as much food as possible from farmers' markets and grocery stores that feature locally grown food.