Far too many Americans pay little attention to where the food on their plates come from. Despite ongoing notifications alerting consumers of products that have been removed from grocery shelves for such food diseases as salmonella and listeria, Americans generally trust that the food they buy from the supermarkets is safe for human consumption. Surely a country known as a Global Superpower would treat the nourishment and health of its citizens with the highest priority. With the finalization of the ten-part agreement between China and the United States, consumers may want to start paying closer attention to exactly how that food arrives at the supermarket.
Following President Trumps meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in April, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced to reporters, “We have some very big news, U.S.-China relationships are now hitting a new high, especially in trade. We're announcing, jointly with the Chinese, the initial results of the 100-day action plan of the U.S.-China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue.”
The new arrangement will reopen imports of U.S. beef to China, lifting a ban that has been in place since 2003. China originally banned beef from the U.S. after a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease, was detected in the states. As such, the agreement specifies that only beef from animals less than 30 months old will be accepted. In return, the U.S. has agreed to allow China to export cooked poultry into the United States. While raw poultry will still be prohibited, the agreement further allows China to raise and slaughter the birds. The poultry will not require country-of-origin labels, keeping American consumers clueless. This raises ethical concerns to consumer access to all pertinent information that may have a direct impact on health.
China has long been known for its questionable food safety regime with repeated cases of avian influenza and food born illnesses. Lethal and contagious strains of avian influenza known as “bird flu” have killed at least 268 people in China, since October. Representative Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn), has been critical of the agreement that she believes puts public health in the U.S. at risk in favor of profit and trade. The congresswoman added an addition to the USDA draft of the bill that banned the imported Chinese chicken from being served in schools. The majority of the cooked meat will be packaged as chicken nuggets, a popular staple in children’s lunches. The bipartisan bill known as the Safe Chicken and Meat for Children Act of 2017 was approved unanimously. The Democrats hope to expand on the victory by introducing legislation that will also bar the meat from federal nutrition programs as well.
As the food industry continues to follow the trend of profit as priority rather than public health, consumers must be their own advocates when it comes to food choices. Just because it ends up in American supermarkets does not mean it shouldn’t be scrutinized. Sadly, your life as an American consumer may depend on it.