Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Whoever talks of the superiority of European meat products should have to try to choke down a six pack of Tesco chicken nuggets. For all that they smelled pretty good, dang those were vile.
One thing that speaks for European meat is that it's guaranteed to be hormone and antibiotic free. And this is thanks to the EU, on which many so seem to hate. All in all the EU has been a godsend for European consumer protection, just an example of the "invisible good" the EU does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by in_newengland
Small family farms have been forced out of business over the years due to agri-business. So our food comes from some place a few thousand miles away and it's not fresh. I had to buy very green bananas the other day and by the time they ripen, they'll be rotten. I guess there isn't much you can do about bananas because they don't grow in this climate, but we used to get fairly ripe bananas, not green ones. The tomatoes aren't called "styrofoam tomatoes" for nothing. In winter they're nearly white and hard as a rock and without flavor.
I think this is a logistical problem, pure laziness or the total underestimation of the consumer. I live in Finland where nothing grows in winter, and almost all bananas come raw from Costa Rica. Then they are ripened indoors in Finland and totally good quality. And ironically, they are cheaper than Finnish greenhouse tomatoes. Styrofoam tomatoes is a term I don't recognise, but I can too attest that summer tomatoes are vastly superior to winter tomatoes.
One thing that speaks for European meat is that it's guaranteed to be hormone and antibiotic free. And this is thanks to the EU, on which many so seem to hate. All in all the EU has been a godsend for European consumer protection, just an example of the "invisible good" the EU does.
I think this is a logistical problem, pure laziness or the total underestimation of the consumer. I live in Finland where nothing grows in winter, and almost all bananas come raw from Costa Rica. Then they are ripened indoors in Finland and totally good quality. And ironically, they are cheaper than Finnish greenhouse tomatoes. Styrofoam tomatoes is a term I don't recognise, but I can too attest that summer tomatoes are vastly superior to winter tomatoes.
Hormones aren't used in US or Canadian chickens. All chicken in Canada is antibiotic free, meaning that IF a chicken was given an antibiotic that chicken can not be sent to the production plant, until any residue is gone. Also, a lot of chicken is sold as " antibiotic free" and that label means that that chicken has NEVER had any antibiotics given to them.
The difference ( and again this may be very very regional ) I find in US and Canadian chicken is that Canadian chicken is grain fed, where a lot of US chicken is corn fed. I find overall Canadian chicken more to my liking.
In the EU, antibiotics are used apparently, which seems to go against the rules.
"Routine use of antibiotics on animals – which is frequently practised across the world as a method of promoting their growth – is supposed to be banned within the EU.
However, the new data from EMA showed that farmers and vets are over-using strong antibiotics, campaigners told the Guardian. The O’Neill review advised that the UK and other countries should aim to use no more than 50mg of antibiotic per kilogramme of livestock, but the data shows that the average use across the EU is three times higher at 152mg per kg, according to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics."
Hormones aren't used in US or Canadian chickens. All chicken in Canada is antibiotic free, meaning that IF a chicken was given an antibiotic that chicken can not be sent to the production plant, until any residue is gone. Also, a lot of chicken is sold as " antibiotic free" and that label means that that chicken has NEVER had any antibiotics given to them.
It was not my aim to say that European meat are the only having restrictions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natnasci
In the EU, antibiotics are used apparently, which seems to go against the rules.
"Routine use of antibiotics on animals – which is frequently practised across the world as a method of promoting their growth – is supposed to be banned within the EU.
However, the new data from EMA showed that farmers and vets are over-using strong antibiotics, campaigners told the Guardian. The O’Neill review advised that the UK and other countries should aim to use no more than 50mg of antibiotic per kilogramme of livestock, but the data shows that the average use across the EU is three times higher at 152mg per kg, according to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics."
Of course there's always people who tries to play the system, and no system is perfect. This part of the article is at least encouraging for me:
“Spain now uses 100 times more antibiotics per unit of livestock than Norway, 80 times more than Iceland and 35 times more than Sweden. The main reason for the difference is that Spain, like most of Europe, allows routine mass medication, whereas the Nordic countries do not."
It is fresh, cut in the store. I don’t see any syrup. I hope they didn’t add harmful preservatives to it.
Probably not. If they do, it should be on the label.
What I find frustrating is the waste of energy in importing and exporting product to and from countries that have the same product.
For example. BC grows a nice variety of apples...why do I need to buy ones from New Zealand?
I've started to see a lot of Australian beef in one of my local stores. I don't buy it. I buy BC or Alberta beef.
I can understand certain imported things like cheese and wines...they vary more per region, but a Granny Smith apple from the Okanagan is the same as one from down under.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Is it in a package with sweet syrup, or just all fresh?
