Seattle political writer David Goldstein at a community forum in Belltown two weeks ago.
The overnight blogs are abuzz: Tenet (slamdunking Iraq) and Goldy (recycling poisoned pet food).
Both merit close attention, but Goldy (David Goldstein) is right here in Seattle, and he's making international news. Let's not forget that his blog, HorsesAss.org, was the first to reveal Michael Brown's bogus credentials to run FEMA. This time, it's another fuckup, but with truly ominous potential: China's melamine-laced pet food was recycled as feed for domestic pork, and our FDA let them get away with it.
Cornichon took some heat last year for straying off-topic and discussing food safety. Tough shit. We trust the gummint to keep unsafe food off the market. If the incumbent administration's public policy falls short, we've got to speak up.
Who knows what kind of shit is adulterating our imported and domestic food supply? But whatever it is, it's about to hit the fan.
The FDA, says Goldy, must have known that this wasn't, um, kosher.
Had this accident never occurred -- had cats, with their sensitive renal systems, not been the canary in the coal mine of melamine toxicity -- we might never have known that our children and our pets were being slowly poisoned by Chinese capitalism.
The blog DailyKos, reporting on Goldy's revelations, concludes:
Did the FDA know that the Chinese were spiking rice, wheat, and corn gluten with melamine, a chemical that boosts nitrogen levels, what food regulators commonly test to determine protein levels? It seems likely. So now the question, why did they let it continue for so long?
The frightening conclusion: it's not just Fluffy's and Fido's food dish, it could mean that virtually every plate in the country ends up contaminated. Let the finger-pointing begin.
Posted by Ronald Holden at April 29, 2007 10:23 PMWhat this might also make you wonder is what other kinds of nudge-nudge-wink-wink arrangements there are out there? Maybe cow (or people) poop in our salad ingredients? Or Nutrasweet's nasty little secrets? A conspiracy theorist's wet dream...
Posted by: RobertinSeattle at May 2, 2007 10:25 AMWe don't disagree at all, Robert. Chinese suppliers were adding melamine to boost nitrogen levels because it was cheaper to do that than to add real proteins. FDA didn't much care.
What you're adding to the mix is the possibility that the American side TOLD the Chinese to do this (or asked them, or suggested it, same thing)...that the American buyers knew all along. (And that the FDA didn't much care.)
Posted by: Ronald at May 2, 2007 8:40 AMLet's not even start with this pointing the finger at "Chinese capitalism." It takes two to tango and if, in fact, our own FDA turned a blind eye, how much of a stretch do you think it would be for "American capitalism" to be on the other side of the equation asking their Chinese suppliers to boost nitrogen levels to enhance nutrition certifications? Why would Chinese suppliers go to the extra expense of an additive if it wasn't asked for by someone on this end?
As Goldy points out, they're capitalists -- but in the purest sense. Tell me why a pure capitalist would go the extra mile to ADD ingredients if they weren't paid to do so? We need to take a long and serious look at our own so-called high standards of nutrition specs set for our food supply by the FDA and others. Sooner or later, it always comes back to roost. The Law of Unintended Consequences at work. Or as they call it in India -- kharma.
Posted by: RobertinSeattle at May 2, 2007 2:24 AM