Examining Country Of Origin Labels
Be COOL! Country Of Origin Labels are a good way for an informed consumer to know where their stuff comes from and make reasonable choices about what is wholesome to eat or drink or avoid putting into their body. Knowing the origin of a product helps determine the authenticity of the product, and if you’re really on top of things, you might be aware of whether or not their growing is sustainable, their processing is healthy, and whether their regime is one you want to support or boycott.
In this photo, I chose wine from California, olives from Spain, and beer from Germany. Most German beers like this Warsteiner are named after their town of origin. All of their brews are subject to very old and strict laws insuring that only the best, traditional ingredients go into them. My olive oil is bottled in Italy and blended from olive oil originating from Italy, Spain, and Greece. Also on the back row is a Navel Orange from California probably grown from water that started out in the Colorado Rockies.
Moving a bit forward we come to some ham from the regional chain HEB. It is Made in USA, but I’ll have to look further into where their store brand ham and turkey comes from. I avoid all pork products from the Smithfield syndicate of factory farms, and that includes a whole shitload of common pork brands they acquired. If you eat pork, look them up or just buy local from a trusted source. Likewise, I now avoid all chicken from Tyson or Pilgrim’s Pride because they along with Smithfield, conduct massive Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations that are cruel to the animals, dangerous to their low-paid workers, extremely harmful to the environment, and potentially dangerous to the consumer. My shit list continues to grow. My chicken and bison comes from regional, free-range operations that avoid GMO feed, animal growth hormones, and antibiotics given to healthy animals. I also know that HEB gets their salmon from wild fisheries or sustainable fish farms.
My fingers are touching red grapefruit from Texas which happens to be the world’s best and will remain so IF the Rio Grande keeps flowing from Colorado, through New Mexico, and between Mexico and Texas. The cherry tomatoes are from Mexico. Most of my tomatoes come from Texas or Mexico. The sardines come from Canada. In recent years many sardines and most smoked baby oysters come from China, a country with HORRIBLE food purity laws. Avoid chlorine-processed chicken from China at all cost! There are attempts within the industrial and junk food industry to abolish mandatory COOL laws, and this would open the door to Chinese chlorine chicken or dog meat entering the US. If TPP gets final approval, the privatization measures could require that US municipal animal shelters be sold to Chinese meat producers.
Sausage is a family of meat products that can be produced clean or nasty. Smithfield owns many traditional brands that have become industrial operations whose products should be avoided. The sausage shown here is from Holmes Smokehouse, a local meat producer that I am familiar with. Their catering department used to supply lunch to my National Guard tank company, a few miles away in Rosenberg. I have seen their facilities and watched their company grow and product line expand.
The Jarlsberg cheese is a Swiss Emmentaler style of cheese made in Norway and is the most popular brand of foreign cheese sold in the US. I prefer the real Emmentaler, but it sells for about 50% more per pound. Depending what is available and what the going price is, I buy cheese from the United States, Ireland, England, Wales, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Australia. Kiwifruit originated in China but gained its popularity after being grown and exported from New Zealand. Most of the time, it is too expensive for me to buy, but recently I’ve gotten some from Chile at a decent price.
Sometimes it does take a magnifying glass to read the COOL labels, but it is important to know where your food comes from. You really are what you eat. It is also important for me to know where my makeup comes from. Most of my cosmetics come from the US, but a little bit comes from France, Germany, and the UK but never China. Heavy metal contamination of pigments, dyes, and paints is their special hazard. No “bargain brand” eye shadow from China for me. That stuff showed up recently.
Examining Country Of Origin Labels
Be COOL! Country Of Origin Labels are a good way for an informed consumer to know where their stuff comes from and make reasonable choices about what is wholesome to eat or drink or avoid putting into their body. Knowing the origin of a product helps determine the authenticity of the product, and if you’re really on top of things, you might be aware of whether or not their growing is sustainable, their processing is healthy, and whether their regime is one you want to support or boycott.
In this photo, I chose wine from California, olives from Spain, and beer from Germany. Most German beers like this Warsteiner are named after their town of origin. All of their brews are subject to very old and strict laws insuring that only the best, traditional ingredients go into them. My olive oil is bottled in Italy and blended from olive oil originating from Italy, Spain, and Greece. Also on the back row is a Navel Orange from California probably grown from water that started out in the Colorado Rockies.
Moving a bit forward we come to some ham from the regional chain HEB. It is Made in USA, but I’ll have to look further into where their store brand ham and turkey comes from. I avoid all pork products from the Smithfield syndicate of factory farms, and that includes a whole shitload of common pork brands they acquired. If you eat pork, look them up or just buy local from a trusted source. Likewise, I now avoid all chicken from Tyson or Pilgrim’s Pride because they along with Smithfield, conduct massive Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations that are cruel to the animals, dangerous to their low-paid workers, extremely harmful to the environment, and potentially dangerous to the consumer. My shit list continues to grow. My chicken and bison comes from regional, free-range operations that avoid GMO feed, animal growth hormones, and antibiotics given to healthy animals. I also know that HEB gets their salmon from wild fisheries or sustainable fish farms.
My fingers are touching red grapefruit from Texas which happens to be the world’s best and will remain so IF the Rio Grande keeps flowing from Colorado, through New Mexico, and between Mexico and Texas. The cherry tomatoes are from Mexico. Most of my tomatoes come from Texas or Mexico. The sardines come from Canada. In recent years many sardines and most smoked baby oysters come from China, a country with HORRIBLE food purity laws. Avoid chlorine-processed chicken from China at all cost! There are attempts within the industrial and junk food industry to abolish mandatory COOL laws, and this would open the door to Chinese chlorine chicken or dog meat entering the US. If TPP gets final approval, the privatization measures could require that US municipal animal shelters be sold to Chinese meat producers.
Sausage is a family of meat products that can be produced clean or nasty. Smithfield owns many traditional brands that have become industrial operations whose products should be avoided. The sausage shown here is from Holmes Smokehouse, a local meat producer that I am familiar with. Their catering department used to supply lunch to my National Guard tank company, a few miles away in Rosenberg. I have seen their facilities and watched their company grow and product line expand.
The Jarlsberg cheese is a Swiss Emmentaler style of cheese made in Norway and is the most popular brand of foreign cheese sold in the US. I prefer the real Emmentaler, but it sells for about 50% more per pound. Depending what is available and what the going price is, I buy cheese from the United States, Ireland, England, Wales, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Australia. Kiwifruit originated in China but gained its popularity after being grown and exported from New Zealand. Most of the time, it is too expensive for me to buy, but recently I’ve gotten some from Chile at a decent price.
Sometimes it does take a magnifying glass to read the COOL labels, but it is important to know where your food comes from. You really are what you eat. It is also important for me to know where my makeup comes from. Most of my cosmetics come from the US, but a little bit comes from France, Germany, and the UK but never China. Heavy metal contamination of pigments, dyes, and paints is their special hazard. No “bargain brand” eye shadow from China for me. That stuff showed up recently.