Food Safety !

Why we need and deserve country of origin labeling on our food....

The recent news of contaminated food entering the market should plainly illustrate the need for clear food labeling.

Since some time in April there have been reports of salmonella poisoning due to contamination in tomatoes. This continues to the last week where US food safety officials put out a warning and many food service businesses are taking precautions by taking tomatoes off their menus or off their shelves.

For some reason it seems that authorities are incapable of deducing where the problem originates.
Let me help.
First - Name the most likely cause of contamination.
Easy ... contaminated water used in the washing and processing of the tomatoes!
Reports apparently confirm that this is the case.

Second - Name the produce growing region MOST likely to be using contaminated water in food processing.
Also Easy ... It's Mexico!
After weeks of investigation where focus was on US producer regions apparently the "Experts" think that this may be the source.

The FIRST report that mentions Mexico as the potential source of contaminated tomatoes came today!

Now, I do understand that my conclusion which took all of 30 seconds to arrive at was in no way definitive. However it seems that such simple problem solving efforts would provide a GOOD PLACE to start looking for the source of the problem. and take a lot less that than the weeks of casting about that has actually gone while people continue to get sick from salmonella poisoning.

So here's my solution:
Make food place of origin labels mandatory. Labels that show not just the country of origin but the region and the producer. I do not care to hear excuses from anyone on this matter. It can be done and for the sake of our health and safety it should be done.
So, if any politician types are reading take note. You need to get your head around this problem and do it now.
And FYI - YES I will boycott products from regions I consider unsafe or that I have other concerns about. It is my right to do so and I believe that it is the responsibility of my government to make it possible for me to exercise that right.

Some background on the current proposed Country Of Origin Law:

Legal Analysis
Government Info

OMMAG

Survival Basics!

It never ceases to amaze me that people like this act surprised when nature does what is only natural ... And Tries To Kill Them

"ALERT, Nunavut - The British adventurer stymied in her quest to become the first woman to ski solo to the North Pole has left the world's most northerly outpost with a smile, no regrets and a promise to try again next year."

""..."I'll be back, I'll be back," Hannah McKeand said Wednesday as she prepared to leave the Arctic military installation at Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island and fly to the hamlet of Resolute further south. ""

Snow was deeper than expected by the "experienced" adventurer? Fell through crust on the top of an ice ridge? Got Hurt? Had a "Good Cry"? Rescued by Canadian Military?

Not that it bothers me that this twit takes pride in her public efforts to kill herself ... I call it suicide by nature .... it's probably better for all of us that you spend your time doing this than ... oh let's say breeding.

Just so long as we get reimbursed for the time and cost of using our resources to bail your stupid ass out!!

OMMAG

US Couple Survive Week In Northern MB !

Canoe Trip goes bad.... A pair of canoeists from Washington state survived six days lost in northern Manitoba by eating insects and plants before being found by rescuers last week.

Update More Info

Good news story! For sure if you get lost on the Churchill River Between The Pas and Hudson's Bay you could be in a world of trouble and pain. It's a good thing they studied survival guides for the Canadian Wilderness.

"They were … surviving off of vegetation they could find, such as water lilies. They ate a water bug, they found different kinds of mushroom," Says Kevin Choy, of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA).

They had mosquito nets at least! Although that's more of a personal comfort thing IMO.... I wonder if they even had Moskol?

Now word however on how long they had planned for their expedition or what other equipment or precautions they had taken.

For One Thing - I'd be packing one of THESE ! with This ! for a backup! ( These alone would make it virtually impossible to get lost! )

* One of These !
( Which would make getting FOUND a virtual cinch! )

* At LEAST One of These ! ( Which would completely eliminate the food problem given the abundance of fish where they were ! )
* And Finally - One of These ! ( Which would make ANY threat of animal encounter into a Food Opportunity ! )

Now .... given that if these two people had been Properly equipped they would not have gotten lost in the first place. The fact that they were apparently unprepared kind of tells me that this was a case of Darwin's rules being narrowly skirted by someone who just avoided through luck ....becoming a statistic !

Because when you are properly prepared...... getting lost and being forced to eat bugs and weeds is not going to happen!

These people are just a couple of lucky idiots!

Who should have contacted one of These ! and used their guiding service ..... either that or stayed home.


OMMAG