Where does our FOOD come from???

[Up-the-Creek]

Okay,..to some of you this may be a dumb question,..but to me,..well I need to know. Our food we purchase in the store,..how can we tell where it is grown or "made"? Most all of the packaging states "distrubuted by such and such",..but no where did it come from. :/ Some food states that it is a product of the USA,..but others nothing. Some actually states what country it came from,..like olive oil from Italy,..or the generic Aleve I purchased that stated it was made in India and packaged here in the states,which I noticed AFTER I bought the d_mn things,. Won't do that again. Really,..I am just curious,..How can we be sure it is a product of the USA??? Anyone??? Inquiring minds needs to know.

 

[MorelCabin]

Well, manderins and tangerines are from China...
Most of the seafood is from there as well, and you DON'T want to eat it from there, much of it is actually bred and raised in septic ponds.
I have found one grocery store here that sells Canadian seafood.
Canned goods generally tell you, and the ones that don't...don't buy.
Dairy is usually fairly local...meaning it is usually from the country it is sold in
Fruit and veggies tell you on those little stickers that are on them
Some things are a little tricky...and those things I am careful with. Research various foods online and you will find out and can make your food choices from there.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Canned and boxed foods. They usually only state who they are distributed by ..,..not where the product came from. Don't get me wrong, some do tell on the label,..but not many. Especially generic brands.

 

[MsPony]

Because its repackaged from the same place as generic X.

I found out Trader Joes "O"'s are repackaged cheerios, thank goodness their honey nut aren't, those will be in my tomb

 

[Wifezilla]

For milk, there is a code that tells you which dairy it came from.

 

[TanksHill]

I think it depends on where you live. Most of the produce in my local stores is form Ca or Mexico. Well the stuff that's in season at least.

g

 

[patandchickens]

Some actually states what country it came from,..like olive oil from Italy

Maybe not -- from what I have read (I do occasionally dip into the foodie literature ) it is nearly impossible to buy Italian-grown olive oil. The stuff that says "Italy" on the bottle is BOTTLED in Italy but made of stuff grown elsewhere e.g. South America and I forget where all else.

Honestly, for most things these days, the only way to be sure where it comes from is to buy it from the guy who grew it. (Yes, there are certainly commercial things with origin labels, but the legal loopholes are often very large and in any case one is depending on the producer's *honesty* which does not always turn out to be goin' on)

This is the price you pay for wanting a whole big variety of foodstuffs *and* at a low price.

Pat

 

[i_am2bz]

Canned and boxed foods. They usually only state who they are distributed by ..,..not where the product came from. Don't get me wrong, some do tell on the label,..but not many. Especially generic brands.

You're right, UTC...I've noticed that, too. I just looked in my storage room, & randomly checked the following: Progresso soup, generic canned black beans, generic canned potatoes, generic angel hair pasta, Texas Pete chili sauce, & Del Monte pineapple. Only the pineapple stated location (Philippines); everything else was labeled "distributed by". :/

(Are they implying that Texas Pete's isn't made in Texas??!!)

 

[Up-the-Creek]

WHAT! Texas Pete NOT from TEXAS!!! I am shocked! And all this time I thought Pineapples came from Hawaii!!!
I went shopping today and I did pay attention to what I was buying,..but still it doesn't do any good if they don't label the food as a product of such and such,...Peanut butter, I buy a lot of PB for the kids,...it all just says distributed by such and such,..Something els,..If I am remembering correct when the great PB "poisoning" went on a couple years back,..wasn't Peter Pan and the Great Value brand from Walmart made at the same place??? Both items were recalled,..right?? Like the Cheerios thing,...generic or house brands are just repackaged name brand stuff,...so is this the reason why the labeling is so lacking in information??? It's all about money,...

 

[i_am2bz]

WHAT! Texas Pete NOT from TEXAS!!! I am shocked! And all this time I thought Pineapples came from Hawaii!!!
I went shopping today and I did pay attention to what I was buying,..but still it doesn't do any good if they don't label the food as a product of such and such,...Peanut butter, I buy a lot of PB for the kids,...it all just says distributed by such and such,..Something els,..If I am remembering correct when the great PB "poisoning" went on a couple years back,..wasn't Peter Pan and the Great Value brand from Walmart made at the same place??? Both items were recalled,..right?? Like the Cheerios thing,...generic or house brands are just repackaged name brand stuff,...so is this the reason why the labeling is so lacking in information??? It's all about money,...

I know!! And rumor has it that Haagen Dasz ice cream isn't made in Denmark, either!! Of all the nerve...

But seriously...it's frustrating when you're doing your best to try to be responsible about what you consume...when you can't even figure out where it's really made.