My "safe" foods list
I have been calling and emailing companies to get food production dates to avoid foods produced in California that might have been affected by radiation from the nuclear accident. I share these in case others might be doing something similar.
Pre-Fukushima foods
(expiration/best by dates)
Julian date of accident March 11 is 070 or 1070 (1 represents 2011)
The following was determined by emailing and calling companies to get the production dates. Julian dates are exact as packing dates; the rest must be counted back from expiration dates. The number in parentheses is shelf life.
Butter: Organic Valley: 16 Dec 2011 or before (280 days)
Cheese
Org Valley mild cheddar: 10 Apr 2011 or earlier (aged 30 days)
Org Valley string: 8 Aug 2011 or earlier (150 days)
Org Valley cream chz: 7 Sept 2011 or earlier (180 days)
Eggs: Julian date 070 = March 11, so before
Fish: not buying anything from the Pacific Ocean or western states, including Baja
Flour: Bob's Red Mill Organic White: Julian date 1070 or before
(but takes two months from production to packing - Julian date is packing)
Arrowhead Mills: Whole Wheat flour: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Buckwheat Pancake Mix: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Granola bars: Cascadian Farms: 14 Nov 2011 or before (248 days)
Ice cream: Julie's: Julian date 11070 or before
Juice: frozen Cascadian Farms: 24 March 2013 or before (744 days)
boxed Apple and Eve: Julian date 1070 or before (estimated)
Honest Ade: 11 March 2012 or before (1 year)
Meats
Organic Prairie: frozen: Julian date 11070 or before
fresh sliced meat: 25 May 2011 (75 days)
Diestal frozen turkey: Julian date 070 or before
Smart Chicken: Julian date 070 or before (but all from Nebraska anyway)
Applegate farms: fresh (hot dogs, bacon) 18 April 2011 (38-40 days)
frozen (turkey burgers) 11 Dec 2011 (9-12 months)
Trader Joe's packaged Pinot Grigio salami: 11 Dec 2011 (9-12 months)
(Trader Joes won't say where anything is from)
Milk (boxed ): 7 Sept 2011 or earlier (180 days)
Oils and condiments:
(all Hain company, which is tricky since they won't say where anything is from)
Hain Safflower Mayonaisse: 11 Dec 2011 (9 months)
Spectrum Organic Mediterranean Olive Oil: 11 March 2013
(but Trader Joe's is cheaper and comes from Italy)
Spectrum Org Brown Rice Vinegar: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Spectrum Org Toasted Sesame Oil: 11 Sept 2012 (18 mo)
Spectrum Org Canola Oil: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Pasta and cheese (boxed): Annie's: 10 Sept 12 or earlier (18 months)
Protein bars: Amazing Grass Greens Superfood Chocolate Peanut Butter 3/11/2013 (2 years)
Protein drink: Orgain: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Rice milk: Rice Dream: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Seaweed
Osahwa: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Soups and broths:
Pacific Foods creamy soups and broths: 11 March 2012 (1 year)
Pacific Foods carton soups w/chicken and condensed: 11 March 2013 (2 yrs)
Sour cream: Organic Valley 6 May 2011 or earlier (56 days)
Vegetables (frozen): Cascadian Farms: 24 March 2013 or before (744 days)
Woodstock Farms: mixed mushrooms, shiitake, edamame, broccoli florets: 11 Sept 2012 (18 mo)
all other veg: 11 March 2013 (2 years)
Water (bottled): Arrowhead 10 Sept 2012 (18 months)
Yogurt: Wallaby 29 Apr 2011 or earlier (all flavors, 49 days)
Goat milk powder
I purchased containters of Mt.Capra goat milk powder. My daughter is allergic to it so if someone is looking for prefukushima powdered goat milk email me at: juliahosman@cox.net. Thanks.
Cosmetics
Of course no one eats cosmetics, however, shampoos, lotions, foundation, powders, etc. are all put on the skin and therefore, can be absorbed through the skin. Lipstick will be ingested.
Therefore, consider caution with what cosmetics you purchase and where they are manufactured.
Research everything you buy from now on.
I've been hoping someone on
I've been hoping someone on BRAWN would come on here and say, "hey, guys...please don't worry about eating food from California. We do not have the level of fallout that would be cause for alarm."
I haven't purchased a fresh fruit or vegetables from California, Hawaii or Mexico in six months and Io I'm feeling weary from just not knowing what is safe and what is not. As a matter of fact I have 10 lbs. of dehydrated green beans that were harvested in April 2011 and I can't bring myself to eat them or feed them to my 4 year old.
Prefukushima food will run out soon. What to do?
Agreed!!!
Prefukushima food will run out soon. What to do?
=========================================
This attempt to avoid the marginal radiation from Fukushima is so stupid. Sorry, but there is no other word. It's like attempting to avoid germs, when they are all around us in numbers greater than some people realize.
Those that "think" they are avoiding radioactivity have no idea of the much greater amounts that are in the foods that they believe to be radiation free.
How long can these people keep up this nonsense. As pointed out above, the food harvested prior to the Fukushima accident is going to run out. Then what are you going to do? Stop eating? Get used to it!!! You are going to be eating radioactive food, and that's nothing new. Humans have been eating radioactive food for as long as there have been humans.
Didn't any of you hear about Carbon-14 Dating in grade school? That only works because humans have always been eating radioactive food. They just didn't know it.
It's exhausting isn't it? I
It's exhausting isn't it? I recently realized that we adjusted tho and now it's "normal".
We've just gotten in the habit of driving to different locations for what we need. xxx store for meat from s. hemisphere, then to xxx market for NZ kiwis or Peruvian asp, pears, apples or grapes from Chile, then to Vons or Albertsons for the hydroponic lettuce discussed in this thread. We buy nothing processed and everything is imported. It WAS a pain in the butt at first, but now we just do it without thinking.
This thread and all the contributions from many good people helped enormously!!!
Oh and just for fun, may I
Oh and just for fun, may I recommend raw honey from Brazil?! delicious! and raw is so healthy.
We tried some others but like this best. Recently found it at Jimbos.
We put a little in our coffee, and in our homemade iced tea (watch the source of your tea very carefully)
Cheese
If you want dairy, sharp and extra sharp cheddar is aged. Tillamook and some other brands brag about how long the cheese is aged. Some are 6 months, others 9 months. Thus, if 6 months aging or more, they would be made from pre-Fukushima.
I buy the ones aged 6 months now, then I will be moving on to the 9 month ones in a couple of months.
Unopened they should last long in the fridge.
Anyone know how long "aged" swiss is actually aged. That's my favorite cheese, but I haven't found a label telling me how long it is aged.
Caution to all on rice and soy milk and seaweed. Find out where the rice, soy, and seaweed are from. I imagine that some comes from Japan.
Are free run, organic eggs/meat worse?
I am hesitant to buy free fun organic eggs because I heard that they could have more radiation than factory farmed eggs. Grass fed beef could be worse than factory farmed meat.
What meat and dairy are you buying?
I decided not to worry too much. Except milk, I started eating everything else. Not matter how bad the radiation is out there, I can't avoid it. My kids want to play in the sands, run around in the grass and swim in the lake. They are going to get wet in the rain (I'm in Vancouver, BC). Is East coast supposed to be better really? If it is, I want to move. But I don't think so.
I'm with you..
I am hesitant to buy free fun organic eggs
----------------------------------------------------
What are "free fun" organic eggs....
I know what "free run" organic eggs are. Those are the eggs that they let out of the cages that can go rolling around on their own...
But I'm with you, that "free fun" stuff sounds like it might be risky....
I am in Alberta, so we are
I am in Alberta, so we are close by. I am also finding it hard to find things to feed my kids. We are avoiding all dairy. It is really hard as my kids see thier friends eating things with dairy in it and can't understand why they can't have any. We drink rice milk, almond milk and oat milk. We buy rice milk ice cream. I sure am missing cheddar cheese and sour cream though.
I have been buying apples from NewZealand at Safeway. Things like Kiwis, mandarin oranges, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, all from the southern hemisphere. Fruits such as nectarines, plums, cantelope, fresh berries are all out at this time as they are from California and BC. I am still buying carrots from California or locally as there is no alternative for fresh. We don't eat greens at this time. I miss my salads too. I also have loads of frozen organic vegetables from March (corn, peas, carrots,green beans). I am not sure what other veggies are safe. We do eat potatoes and sweet potatoes some times for a change.
The rest of our diet consists of chicken, eggs, beans, turkey, rice, pasta and that is about it. My kids and I are getting really sick of this...
My kids also play in the sand, swim in the outdoor pools. They do to daycare and they have all these activities planned for them every day. I am not sure how I can stop them from participating.
I have a large perennial garden in my back yard that I need to weed every couple of days and also there is mowing the lawn.
It really sucks to have to worry about these things. :(
Guidence For Nice Food
This is nice list , i like Butter very much. But you can try two or one books for good food ideas. This awesome Books title is
1. Dictionary of Food and Nutrition
Author : Raul Jewel
2. Food for the Soul Vegetarianism and Yoga Traditions
Author : Steven J. Rosen
Above both books are wrote for Nice Food and Good Health.
worried concerned moms of little ones
i wish to share worries concerns etc with other moms, sharing knowledge is essential , pls email natasha@tiac.net
tried finding companies to test water milk etc, surprise surprise everywhere i call i get the same answer : we test but we do not certify !!!
they only certify non drinking water, which is CRAP - who needs that?
sample costs 250$ and no certification, wtg USA ! :( all this is making me want to move and fast !
Message for "Kobe" and the "tinfoilhatmom"
For the guy who chowed on some Kobe, I would get some bentonite clay at the health food store, and take it orally for a cleanse it will pull away all heavy metals and such out of your bowl, and intestine. Good for removing radiation and other debris.
For the "tinfoilhatmom" it is good you are being cautious about what foods you are buying. Stay away from the "Dorot" foods at Trader Joes. Foods from Israel and parts of the middle east have A LOT OF FALLOUT, from other incidents.
IMHO
Thanks for the tip...blah.
Thanks for the tip...blah. It feels like the more research we do on our food supply, the more i feel like its such a losing battle.
Here I've been trying for years to buy local and fresh, eat whole foods, avoid the packaged poison they call food these days...but now I find myself trying to weigh the lesser of evils. I realize we cannot control every danger our kids are exposed to what are we supposed to do here? Shrug our shoulders and just submit ourselves to it? I guess ignorance really is bliss...
Depleted uranium is
Depleted uranium is routinely used in military fighting with the brilliant idea of causing widespread contamination problems to the enemy territory.
Kobe
About two weeks ago I went to a jazz club on Colordao to watch buddies of mine play. I ate three Kobe beef sliders about 1.5 inch diamter by 1/4 thick. I didn't realize what they were until a week later, when someone pointed out what we had been dinning on. Umm.. how delicious..
Anyhow, is there a Berklee forum where I can get some advice regrading the above? I'm wondering if I should take some iodine or just not worry, because Ann Coulter says a little radiation adds years to one's life.
I'm serous about this,... except for the Ann Coulter part.
Do yourself a favor - don't worry.
I'm wondering if I should take some iodine or just not worry,
==============================
Do yourself a favor - don't worry.
The only thing taking Iodine does is so your thyroid "gets its fill" and won't uptake any more. That's what you do if you are going to be exposed to radioactive Iodine-131.
However, Iodine-131 has a half-life of 8 days. Even IF there was Iodine-131 in that beef when it was harvested, it has decayed away by the time you ate it.
Don't pay attention to the "radiation hypochondriacs" - they are just plain IGNORANT of the science.
No reports on Kobe farmers
No reports on Kobe farmers having used the contaminated feed for the cattle. That may change next week, though, the Japanese are still trying to check farm by farm.
Dude, why would you take
Dude, why would you take "iodine"? If there every had been any I-131 in the beef, it is long since gone due to the very short half life of that material.
Could there have been cesium in those burgers? For sure. What to do? Not much. Myself, I wouldn't touch any food item from Japan at this point. But the ship has sailed here, right? I would say the risk is very low, this was a one shot deal, so take your vitamins and keep healthy the best you can and take your chances with the rest of us.
BTW, any health benefits of low-level radiation are counteracted by the mere sight of the said Mizz Coulter. Geez, what a bore, no?
What are you going to eat
What are you going to eat after you finish your "safe" food. Food is going to get more contaminated as time goes by as the Japanese crisis is ongoing.
Are you going to live on fruits and veggies from south america? I'm not being sarcastic but genuine.
Not that many S. American foods in the stores
Veggies are hard to find from S. America unless you like frozen veggies grown with a lot of pesticides.
Apples and pears are great from Argentina and you can find them in the stores. Pommegranites were available last month from Chile.
There is not very many choices. I have been refraining from as much as I can but I long for a large bowl of salad. I also wonder how the op will make it, how will we cope ??
I for one am actually
I for one am actually looking forward to moving :)
Since we ran out of pre
Since we ran out of pre Fukushima bottled water and food recently, we only drink S Hemisphere water and buy only meat, veg, fruit from S. Hem. mostly fresh, some frozen, all delicious. We will not compromise.
We recently traveled to South America for vacation, scheduled before Fukushima I might add - so beautiful! We do so almost yearly. We're always amazed at the clean air, blue sky, fresh food and pristine water of the countries we visit. (we weren't in the major cities much, mostly smaller towns). It was so nice to eat whatever we wanted without worry. Started looking at properties to buy as we traveled around this time. Our investment advisor is outside the US and tells us lots of people are moving there. I don't know if he meant Americans or non, since his clientele is broad.
Further nutrition-wise, we had already (2 years) been on an iodine regimen to boost immune, plus good supplements.
I'm just Curious where you
I'm just Curious where you found southern hemisphere water. It's our biggest problem right now (other than the fact that we have basically just not thought about possible contamination of the chicken and eggs we've been eating)...cannot find much pre-fuku water and it's costing a truckload to buy all that fancy Fiji water.
We've found trader joes to be the best for produce. I haven't eaten a fresh veggie since march but I've had great luck finding frozen southern hem. produce there. Not to mention - bliss - organic pink lady apples from chile and the occasional Chilean kiwi. I found these cool frozen herbs - basil and cilantro and minced garlic - they're frozen in little cubes. It's called Dorot I think...made in Isreal and what I found was packed pre-Fukushima.
Long term...I don't know what we'll do. We've got two young children and i am breastfeeding....it's a huge concern to us. And at least a few other parents if Berkeley is any indicator - I feel like we should be having safe foods meetups or something. I have trouble taking my kids places because I dont want other people feeding them stuff. I get that this is extreme to some people...but to me and my husband, for now it seems like the least we can do with a bad situation.
What to do what to do...
Good source I found for immune support
http://healthforce.com/
Cheapest, finest Zeolite I have yet to find + chollera and other excellent immune system products. Very impressed by their quality and commitment to good prices. You can order online and have it shipped to your home.
Good luck to you and yours. Being aware and prepared is our best defense.
p.s. All here should sign up and pay at a minimum $5.00 to catch the NO NUKES CONCERT - August 7th. Well worth it. We humans have to stick together and start demanding alternative energy other than poison killing nukes. I was thinking that you could have a NO NUKES PARTY - invite others over to watch and discuss...
------------------------------
http://www.musiciansunited4safeenergy.com/news.htm
On August 7th there will be a benefit concert for disaster relief in Japan
and for organizations worldwide promoting safe, non-nuclear energy.
You can help now by donating $10 with a simple text. Text MUSE to 80888. A one time $10 donation will be added to your mobile phone bill (messaging and data rates may apply. US only). Visit the M.U.S.E. Donation Page
Tickets are still Available, but if you can’t make it to the M.U.S.E. concert on August 7th don’t worry. You can watch the whole show live thanks to StageIt.
For a $5 minimum donation you can pre-register here to watch the concert.
StageIt will begin at 2PM (PST) on August 7, one hour before show-time. Viewers will have access to exclusive pre-show content including interviews and greetings from the performers, as well as the main feed of the entire concert.
DONATE NOW | TICKETS | WATCH ONLINE
http://www.nukefree.org/
Dasani and others (I think
Dasani and others (I think Kirkland Springs) uses RO which should be pretty effective. Or buy an RO device yourselves. Take your minerals daily since they won't be in the water.
We'll all run out at some point and then we'll have to choose beteen:
- finding those elusive gold mines of south american and south african meat, dairy, veggies and so forth
- take progressively greater risks, e.g., australian meat is next, then central american and european food, others may switch to a vegan diet
- Move! To a tropical country. Oh the horror! I hope I'll see you on the beach :)
also have a little one
i am freaking out i have a 15 month old and have been feeding her frozen veggies, south of the equator foods when i can find them , but local meat and eggs, i installed RO for water , but the fact that the govt is refusing to test , makes me want to move back to russia, cant get a geiger counter for any decent price either!
Russia is way more
Russia is way more contaminated from Chernobyl and Mayak, so stay here :-)
we will soon become more
we will soon become more contaminated than chernobyl, they covered the reactor (only 1 ) in 2 weeks. This fukushima is unprecedented nightmare with no end in site. and its a MELTOUT , not even a melt through.....may take 50 -100 years : "experts" say...
basically time to move: who wants to join me in South America?!?!
The problem with RO water is
The problem with RO water is that it is completely stripped of all minerals. It has a unique effect when ingested that for extended periods is not particularly recommended. But you can manually remineralize it if you wish and you can fortify your bath water with salts. You **don't** want to be showering or bathing with our fluoridated water, believe me.
RO Problem is a Myth
There is no evidence that RO water will cause any depletion of minerals. Your minerals come from the food you eat. If it makes you feel better take a multi-vitamin with minerals.
There is, however, extensive evidence proving that what is in city water is poisonous and toxic to your health. Good RO systems remove the toxins and most radioisotopes. The one I use removes ions down to 0.0001 microns;(Cesium is 0.0003 microns).
Even without the radiation you should have extensive filtering of your water, non-purified water just isn't safe anymore.
For all the meat eaters
For all the meat eaters (like myself) out there. Aside from buying imported meats, you may be able to go down to your local butcher if you have one and see if they have any beef pre-Fukishima that is frozen or request grain fed beef or pork. Next year may be a different story, though, because the grain will be from this year's harvest.
RAD-SAFE Foods
RAD-SAFE labeled foods should sell very well in Japan for the next few (thousand) years.
Reductiton of radioactive isotopes in the human food chain is a good idea for better health.
Prussian Blue is a demonstrated, low cost, safe and effective livestock food additive for removal of Cesium and Strontium from meat and dairy.
Dietary reduction of radioactive potassium (K-40) has been discussed elsewhere. Low K-40 content in suppliments for human and livestock consumption would reduce cancer significantly.
Low K-40, in KI radiation pills is a no-brainer.
Is there any way to reduce
Is there any way to reduce one's K-40 intake on their own if no action is taken for this? I know K-40 is ubiquitous, but what could an individual do to reduce it? And would this be a good idea?
Potassium is essential
:(
Low potassium can/will lead to heart failure. So, unless we can locate a natural source of K that is lower in K-40, or start some serious isotope separation industry... we are stuck on that one.
Perhaps finding a medical, military or industrial use for K-40, would free up the waste products of K-39 and K-41 for human consumption.
Organic Valley Response to Radiation Testing
Customer - 06/16/2011 02:03 PM
Are you testing for Radiation in your products? How often? Are you required
to as a part of organic labeling rules and laws?
Thanks!
Aimie
Organic Valleys Response:
Dear Aimie,
Thank you for contacting Organic Valley and Organic Prairie.
For 23 years, Organic Valley's mission has been to provide healthy, safe and nutritious foods. We have the most comprehensive milk quality assurance program in the United States because we are committed to food safety, http://www.organicvalley.coop/about-us/transparency/food-safety/.
We are monitoring our milk supply for radiation. As with all of our monitoring program components, we do not release individual results to the public due to confidentiality commitments. Please visit the US Environmental Protection Agency web site, http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/rert/radnet-sampling-data.html#milk, for updated radiation monitoring results.
You may view our formal statement on the issue here: http://www.organicvalley.coop/newsroom/japanese-radiation-events/.
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Kayla Koenings
Organic Valley / Organic Prairie
CRM Administrator
CROPP Cooperative
888-444-6455 ext.3367
kayla.koenings@organicvalley.coop
LaFarge, WI 54639
A Farmer Owned Cooperative!
My Response:
Dear Organic Valley/EPA LLP,
I wish to inform you that due "confidentiality commitments" to my family, we will no longer be buying any of your products until information is readily and truthfully shared with your Clients/ ie. Customers / ie. Where your money comes from. Until you make your priority relationship with your Clients and not the EPA, I regret to inform you that my priority will remain with family. Until you show, or act like "family" to us you are excluded from this partnership. My "confidentially commitments" with my friends, family, blogs, and online comments will include information about Organic Valley and it's favored partnership with the disinformation/no information radiation policies of the EPA, ie. we don't believe your bullshit.
Sincerely
Aimie and Family Inc.
Super work, Aimie!
Super work, Aimie! Wonderful!
To Aimie...about milk and Kombucha tea
Girl you rocked it ! I was so delighted to read your letter to Organic Valley. They are schmucks, just looking out for the dollar in the pocket. EPA omg they want to hold hands with the EPA, what a fricking joke. It seems like even the products we buy in health food stores are made by companies that could care less about our health.
Please note I wrote to Synergy they make GT's Kombucha. I asked them about where the tea is coming from in their drinks, they replied with a note giving me the ingredients off the bottle ! I specifically asked them again via email about the tea used their product stating that I was concerned about tea coming from Japan. Here is the email back to me. Obviously they are not going to tell us the tea is coming right out of Japan. What a bunch of gangsters. I used to buy this drink 4-5 times a week. No more ! The Synergy representative who emailed me, signed the email "Peace and blessings" what a hypocrite.
Thank you for the love and support! The ingredients of Kombucha are organic green and black tea, organic cane sugar and the Kombucha Culture. Also, happy to say that our products are 100% Gluten Free. As they do not derive from any gluten, brewer’s yeast, wheat, corn, dairy, meat and nut products. In regards, to where the tea comes from, I am not authorized to disclose that information.
If you have any further questions please contact me at 877-735-8423.
Peace & Blessings,
Jacquie :)
http://www.health-matrix.net/
http://www.health-matrix.net/2011/03/19/detoxify-or-die-natural-radiatio...
"From the Chernobyl experience, the order of decreasing levels of Cs-137 were: chicken > beef > lamb > pork. Meats from older animals have more radionuclides that meat from younger ones owing to accumulation over time. Bones of young animals have more Sr-90. Eggs: shell > egg-white > yolk."
Pork was the safest meat? Is this irony at it's best? Looks like it's not going to be a good idea to continue to make bone broths and egg shell teas any more. Weston Price was alive during safer times.
Wine Vintage 2011
Alcohol in general, and red wine in particular, provide documented health benefits following radiation exposures.
There is an offsetting, and equally well documented, detriment health aspect, related to radionuclide uptake by grapes.
Generally speaking, wines, as well as other agricultural products from the Northern Hemisphere are going to have increased radionuclide counts. This unfortunate circumstance will be most pronounced for the 2011 crops.
Within the Northern Hemisphere, the radionuclide content for 2011 wines will be directly related to the spring rains. The most relevant time period of interest is from March 17th through about May 17th. Radionuclide measurements from rain generally dropped to less significant values after about mid-May.
Vineyards most affected by the Great Radionuclide Storm of 2011, will also have increased soil radionuclides. This will persist until the soil binds the radionuclides.
Spring rain volumes are the key to crop and food safety for 2011 and beyond. This is as true for grapes and wine, as for dairy, lettuce, spinach or strawberries.
Fortunate we still have the
Fortunate we still have the delicious vineyards of south america, also australia - besides aged northern hemisphere wines.
Not too many options, for those of us strictly monitoring our food, but in this respect we have lots of choices.
make yogurt from dry powdered milk!
http://www.ehow.com/how_2112247_yogurt-using-powdered-milk.html
Cheese addition to list
Cabot Cheese: The time stamp information would be first the sell by date, 03/12/12 then a letter that means the vat order of the day like B B01259 then numbers 01 (January) 25 (day) 9 (then year) 2009. So this bar of cheese was produced January, 25, 2009 and best to be sold by February, 12, 2012.
Costco has Brazilian lobster
Costco has Brazilian lobster tails in a box for a pretty penny, but YUM! Please don't inform me of any contaminants in Brazil : ) haha. I am way to happy about this!
I'm so frustrated
I saw this article and was very happy to see that others are concerned about the safety of their food products as well. Let me just say though how frustrated I am by all of this. I had finally reached the point in my shopping where I was buying everything with complete confidence that it was the safest choices and options available for my family. I did tons of research over the years on what truly was organic, what was fair trade, what was safest and cleanest and best for you.
Now, this has thrown a curveball into everything. I had my routine at the store where I knew exactly where all of my regular purchases were, what to grab, how much to get, and suddenly I'm back at square one where I can't trust *anything* automatically.
So now, not only do I need to find food that's GMO free, Pesticide free, Child Labor Free, Supportive of Fair Wages, Local if possible, BPA Free, Preservative free, Free of that 'fresh' fruit spray that grocery stores spritz onto things to make them look more appetizing.. Now I have to worry about the radiation content, which is far more deadly in an immediate sense than all of those things combined!
And it's not just food. Nobody here has mentioned things like their clothing. I buy organic cotton underwear, for example. It's not bleached or grown with chemicals and has no formaldehyde in it, etc. But now, what if the cotton plants metabolize radiation? Only some particles and types just wash out. What about those that have bound with the fibers themselves? Am I going to wind up with cancer from wearing a radioactive bra?
This is just so mind numbing. And then to think that this is the world my children are left with.. What in God's name have we done?
you took all the words out
you took all the words out of my very sad mouth.
Sharra
Sharra,
One more thing, I also buy organic undergarments. I decided I will not buy anymore for along time!! We need to think about EVERYTHING ! Electronics, used cars, new cars, fabrics, clothing, bricks, all kinds of stuff, flying on planes, it is not just food. One more thing don't think that because the food says "Indonesia" for example that it is safe. I know for a fact the criminals of the world including many large corporations and importers see the whole Fukushima accident as one big money making opportunity. Take that contaminated green tea for example. Acres and acres of tainted green tea. No one is watching where it is going, the farmers want it off their property because it is radioactive, and we know they are suffering grave financial losses.
I am sure some criminal import corporation will buy the bulk tea at a "clearance sale price" and export it, mix it up with a bit of untainted tea and sell it. It may end up anywhere and this is just one tiny example of big corporations daily motto "make money." People and human health and safety are not included on the "balance sheets." We can already see this with the complete lack of integrity shown by TEPCO & GE.
This is the bigger picture.
Sharra
Sharra,
It is very frustrating. I agree, why have we been trying so hard all of our lives to just eat clean food, as industries keep contaminating it with GMO, pesticide, herbocide, larvocide, ect. So you and I spend a lot of time, extra money, and energy just trying to find real food that is untampered with. Then along comes Fukushima and we are all screwed. I would really like to sue GE for making unsafe reactors. GE I believe is the source of most of this. Sure TEPCO needs to open it's TEPCO wallet and seal off some of the particle releases in the air, and buy some water containers to keep their dirty water on their own dirty property, and stop dumping it into the ocean. You and I can not go down to the Pacific Ocean and dump all our garbage into it ! (Not that I would ever do that) so why can they get away with it, dumping HUGE amounts of radioactive water into the Pacific ?
I really want to sue GE. They need to stop the mindless game of greed ! Suddenly we have dirty corporate waste spewing out of our facets and spread across our own backyards. Who will pay for our own harvest being destoyed our own homes and yards ?? Who is going to clean it up ? And where is going to placed ????
I have children with food
I have children with food allergies and have spent most of my time researching same issues as you in regards to food. I also have been growing my own garden with lot of strawberries, raspberries, currants, Saskatoon berries, and vegetables. Now, all is contaminated but we are supposed to go on as nothing happened and eat the food and wait to see if we get sick later, at which time no one is going to want to make the connection to Fukushima. You will be seen as irrational, angry, alarmist when you end up making such connections. As you said, our lives have been destroyed and no one is taking responsibility or is even willing to help keep us informed so we can make choices to protect ourselves. I can not believe that our government and those of other countries stood by and continue to stand by and let Japan contaminate our oceans which we all share and need to protect. But, I think they all need to stick up for one another in case it is another country that needs to dump their waste when the time comes. It is truly criminal what they are doing, and the world is allowing it to happen!
Additions to list
Additions to my list of processed foods that are still out there with pre-Fukushima dates:
Cookies and crackers (Late July) big box = 8 months (11 Nov 11 or earlier)
individual snack packs = 11 Jan 2012 or earlier
Chips -- Late July multigrain - 6 months (11 Sept 11 or earlier)
(Hain) Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Chips- 6 months (11 Sept 11 or earlier)
Buttermilk pancake mix - Nature's Path - 1 year (11 March 2012 or earlier)
Snacks
Cheddar Bunnies Snack Mix (Annies) -- 1 year (11 Mar 2012 or earlier)
Bunny Fruit Snacks (Annies) 18 months (10 Sept 2012 or earlier)
Nature's Path Sunny Hemp Granola Bars 10 month (11 Jan 12)
Nature's Path Toaster Pastries - 8 months (11 Nov 11)
Also, I have found it pretty easy to find brands of organic pasta and jarred sauce from Italy, so I've stopped buying local pasta and sauce.