Friday, January 23, 2004

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DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR SHAFT CAME FROM?

Even here in conservative Japan it's common practice for food shoppers to look for the origin label that tells them what country the item came from. The more knowledgeable among them can thereby avoid produce, grains etc. from countries that couldn't care less which foreigners get to eat their insecticide/herbicide/fungicide etc. administered during growth, post-harvest, or during shipment or packaging, since domestic laws don't apply abroad. Wise consumers around the world can thus avoid individual products for whatever reason, whether allergy, preference for general health, or boycott. True, many consumers (probably most) don't care, or think health comes from drugs, doctors and hospitals, but at least all have the choice if they want it. Not in the US, though. Such freedom of choice in food matters is now the norm in most developed countries, and would have been in the US as well, but when it comes to a choice between rich special interests and the general public, you know which side the Bush gang is on. Well, they've shafted the poor consumer again.

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