Imported Foods

I recently did a check of my pantry for expiration dates etc. In doing so, I was surprised to note how many of the canned goods I have on hand are actually imported from other countries.
Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this. For the record, I am in the U.S.

I hadn't really paid much attention to the canned goods, obviously I should. I really do try to 'buy local" for instance with honey, etc. Thanks for mentioning this

How about the FF that's imported from France, recently.

Some food in my cupboards is expressly imports - I go to an Asian market for soba noodles, Japanese soy sauce, coconut milk from Thailand. Avocados at Costco are currently Mexican (which is a good thing, the Peruvian ones are not as flavorful.) What about strawberries, in January, from California? Probably have more frequent flier miles than I do!

I just had never paid much attention to canned goods. I found canned fruit and corned beef from various other countries and wonder if this is a safety issue. I think I am going to read labels better in the future and try to buy made in America more often.

Interesting! I would think it would cost a lot to import canned goods.

I just went and checked all the cans in the pantry. They all have "distributed by" addresses in the US. The tuna says "product of Mauritius" and the capers say "product of Turkey" but I think that's to be expected as capers don't grow in the US and I don't think a lot of tuna is caught in US waters. Once you get more than 200 nautical miles out to sea you're in international waters. I have some Japanese candy I bought on Amazon, but that was deliberately imported, lol.

That's pretty cool. I'll have to take a closer look at canned goods from now on.

It is astounding what all is produced in China. And also what is shipped to China in raw form, manufactured there, and then shipped back.

I tend to stay out of Dollar Stores, Dollar Generals, etc. for that very reason. Much of the stuff in those stores are manufactured in China. Cheap toothpaste and mouthwash, for example. If it's a national brand, that's one thing (although some national brands are even manufactured in China), but the really cheap stuff is usually Chinese.

I read that 60% of all apple juice concentrate is now produced in China. Apple juice concentrate is used in many juice blends in the US.

It's scary.

I found a small magnifying glass and put it in my car. I will use it in the stores to read the labels going forward. One of the store labels in our main stream grocery store sells fruit canned in China and some of the same label fruit is canned in USA. So I don't think picking a specific label is the answer. I think I am just going to have to read labels. Yes, I have found some of the things on my shelf have come from dollar stores, etc. I just intend to be more careful going ahead.
So the question is what to do with the canned things I have found canned in China. I guess I probably have eaten them in the past, but I don't know if I want to eat these I have on hand now or just pitch them.

blueyedgirl5946 said:

... I guess I probably have eaten them in the past, but I don't know if I want to eat these I have on hand now or just pitch them.

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Don't pitch them. I always donate unused cans to the yearly Stamp Out Hunger drive (postal carriers) or else donate to a food bank.

From curiosity, when I was in the IGA this morning I looked at honey. Some was New Jersey local, some was USA. And some was from Germany or Belgium.

I called the Food and Drug Administration. I was told these countries are supposed to be following the same rules as if they were processing in this country. They are however not aware of any problems unless someone reports an issue with a food canned in another country. My personal plan is to eat what I have on hand and then check everything I buy for made in the USA.

You'll need to watch labeling on fresh produce. And meat at the butcher counter too. Cut flowers may come from abroad but I don't know if they are labeled for country of origin

catapault said:

You'll need to watch labeling on fresh produce. And meat at the butcher counter too. Cut flowers may come from abroad but I don't know if they are labeled for country of origin

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I hadn't thought about meat and produce. Thank you. I will be paying special attention to everything I eat now. I really don't mind where the flowers come from.

It all depends on why you want to purchase / consume only made / grown in USA food.

Carrots may be imported from Canada. Now, I'd have a hard time without carrots. Avocados come from Peru or Mexico. That's not a make-or-break, we can live (perhaps not happily, but . . .) Sugar may or may not be produced in the USA. I don't think cocoa is produced in the USA so that means no chocolate. Orange juice is often produced abroad - Brazil, for example. Seafood - even farmed salmon can come from Norway.

Eating seasonally. You may be doing much of your shopping at local farmers markets this summer. And learn about saving summer's bounty by canning or freezing.

In the produce section of the supermarket there are very good looking 2-pound bags of carrots. From Israel.

If you never ate anything imported, you'd have a very limited diet . Well, you'd be fine in the summer. But you'd have to eat mostly meat and other things that freeze well in the winter. The US can't grow everything all year long.

Willowy said:

If you never ate anything imported, you'd have a very limited diet . Well, you'd be fine in the summer. But you'd have to eat mostly meat and other things that freeze well in the winter. The US can't grow everything all year long.

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I am paying attention mainly to canned goods. There are enough fruits and vegetables canned in the USA that I can buy with no problem. I have not found any tuna canned in USA. I am still looking.

Willowy, there's superb fresh produce available from California, Arizona, etc in the winter - broccoli etc. Frozen - huge selection of produce, meat, etc. Canned - more label reading but canned tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, beets, corn, soup, etc.

Still not sure why blueyedgirl5946 wants to consume only USA produced food. If it is food safety just think of all the recalls - ground turkey or beef, apple juice, lettuce.

And it begins to get complicated. Bananas are probably off the list. Vanilla is produced abroad so need to use imitation vanilla and only purchase items with the imitation. Canned tuna fish, probably a no-go because it is caught in international waters, handled on the catcher ship before packing into cans. Baked goods - where was the flour produced? Spices - black pepper, cinnamon, etc are imported.

Here you go, blueyedgirl5946.

Home

"We source only the most premium pole & line tuna from the MSC certified sustainable American pole & line albacore fishery in the American Pacific Northwest. All of our products are hand processed in Oregon & Washington State, custom labeled & cans coded for maximum transparency & safety"

I didn't check their prices but likely to be expensive.

And while you are focused on "made in the USA" there are other things to consider:

My bf and I try to avoid foods that come from China. They really don't care about shortcuts and cheapening out which can be harmful to our health.

catapault said:

Still not sure why blueyedgirl5946 wants to consume only USA produced food. If it is food safety just think of all the recalls - ground turkey or beef, apple juice, lettuce.

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As I stated already, I am more concerned about canned goods than anything else. I talked to the FDA regarding eating canned foods from other countries. They said these countries are supposed to go by regulations to can the food same as it is done here. But there are no inspectors there to oversee. They are not aware of problems until the food is sold here and there is a problem.