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I do nearly all of the grocery shopping in this house (my wife doesn't like to do it, and I don't like her to do it because she sucks at both inventory and managing money).
As I said, I want to be able to make a choice, and I am *beginning* to get more choosy. Bananas don't matter as far as "safe", they come in their own sealed packages and I don't eat the packaging. I *have* noticed some flavor differences between brands/country of origin. Since not many bananas are grown in the US I'll have to settle for imports.
Most of my fresh vegetables come from local farms (if I'm not growing them myself), as does my milk. I like to choose as local as possible, at least in-state, if not within a range of 25 miles, and US as opposed to some other country. For some produce, during off-season there may not be a local/US choice and if I want the product I have to take what I can get, but I want the information to make the choice.
My canned/processed vegetables, I recently settled on a brand after determining the true owner of the brand (not the same as the name on the label) and researching the sourcing of the products and the locations of the processing plants. All US sourcing and processing. Walmart sells some jarred veggies that come out of China, I'm damn sure not buying *those*.
I prefer to have my chicken, beef and pork come from US sources. It isn't always possible, sometimes I see beef that has come out of Mexico, that may or may not influence my purchase, particularly if a US produced product is also available, but, I at least want to *know*.
I believe that *all* food products should be *required* to be labeled with the country of origin and the country in which they are processed. If the WTO and some dipwad foreign countries don't like that, they can go engage in a self-administered coital activity performed with a large artificial phallus.
I buy probably 25%-40% less food at the grocery because of label jargon/lack of labeling. Cost doesn't really matter...just wording.
just sayin'
I make it up on random crap/fast food crap...but i don't come back and make up the difference at the grocery store because I don't trust them. I don't mind paying for something decent---just prove to me it's decent. Otherwise it's crap just like BK, McyD's whatever.
That's because it is. The North American food chain is so integrated it's ridiculous. The beef was raised in Canada, shipped and processed in the US and sold worldwide. Some protectionist yahoos made a law to protect Ricky Bobby and his five cattle in Possum Squat, OK so they could get preferential treatment despite no additional safety or difference in processing. That's the ruling.
If there was a demonstrable difference in food safety or processing, you can label it however you want. In this case there are none. The whole point of the WTO is to have an independent arbiter look at disputes between trading partners. They have no skin in the game.
What?! All this time I thought Possum Squat was in Texas!
I have no problems with food from Canada or meat from Brazil. I am a bit nervous about greens from any country, but I just assume they are all covered in e-coli and need to be washed thoroughly.
However, I absolutely do not want any food from China or India, especially sea food. Not only there's willful disregard for human safety that pops up it's ugly head every now and then, but the whole environment - air, soil, water - is so poisoned and so poorly controlled, that even a local company that is actually trying to adhere to the food safety rules doesn't really know what's in it's fish or shrimp.
The WTO labeling laws don't prevent US producers from labeling their food. They just object to all producers having to label it.
What?! All this time I thought Possum Squat was in Texas!
Nope. Living in TX I can tell you that it's not here. Now Armadillo Turd Junction, yes. Squashed Possum, nearly every day on my way to work, and there's always Cut and Shoot. (that one is real) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut_and_Shoot,_Texas
The ruling came as President Barack Obama tries to sell the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal to Congress and the American people. In response to concerns about TPP, Obama said, “Critics warn that parts of this deal would undermine American regulation – food safety, worker safety, even financial regulations. They’re making this stuff up. This is just not true. No trade agreement is going to force us to change our laws.”
The labeling ruling by the WTO would appear to contradict his assertion.
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Very graphic picture though. 
