Has the public not made enough noise about the condition of foods offered to them?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

The French Press has come upon information that points to the continual import and sale of products from China, which have been harvested using prisoners, camp inmates and forced labor of Uighurs and Falun Gong held in captivity by the Communist Chinese State. Imagine opening a can of tomatoes, potatoes, or peas said to be sold and canned in your country, but the contents are from oppressive, dehumanizing nations: like China, North Korea, or Iran. French lawmakers are investigating such happenings and will in time institute laws forcing producers, packaging firms to identify the source of the products they process and often sell. Will Canada take up such a challenge?

Canadian import rules allow products from China and its third-party partners into Canada willy nilly, with little inspection being done. Examples of products that are harmful to the public can be found in cheap jewelry, which contain chemicals that attack and erode the skin of wearers. Then there are medicines and natural products that have no identifying ingredient. Wooden products made from rotting wood sources, eyeliner that contains mercury and so on. The list is very long, and if the government agencies responsible for the protection of consumers did their jobs it would be longer. Import agencies of the government lack the appropriate number of personnel and the regulations needed to stop importation of items unsavory, or dangerous to the public.

Food is one such item that needs further exploration. Ethnic markets and retail chains that sell fresh, boxed, canned food lack the initiative to demand suppliers supply them, and therefore their customers with the appropriate information about these products, their sources, locations and ingredients. The national government must force the issue through legislation and enforcement. When retail chains who sold legal CDs, DVDs complained about the illegal sale of duplicated products, the governmental authorities went into action raiding the sellers and producers of these bogus products.

Food and medicines are far more important don’t you think? Yet we do not see inspectors in ethnic retail outlets going through products diligently. Wonder why? Could it be a shortage of inspectors or wholesale corruption?

Has the public not made enough noise about the condition of foods offered to them in: grocery, retail, and market fair locations? Simply look at the back of a product and read the label. The more information present the better. No information, no purchase, and if you’re a supporter of human rights, stand up for the little person on the other side of the world unable to stop their own exploitation. Stop buying products from China until they prove they are responsible and civilized members of the international community and free market.