Thread: {tainted imported} Catfish: high price of globalization

Catfish: High price of globalization?

Pepsi, McDonald's and a host of U.S. corporations are falling all over themselves to get a share of the growing Chinese markets in the new global economy.

Pepsi is currently involved in around 40 joint and solely owned ventures in China - now the company's second largest market outside the United States -with total investment exceeding $1 billion.

As sellers, Americans like the global economy. But what about when Americans become consumers?

The recent spate of so-called "tainted" catfish in at least four Mississippi stores brings this quandary into focus.

The tests of imported catfish in Mississippi showed the presence of ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin, antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections.

The Associated Press reported last year predictions that 560 million pounds of American farm-raised catfish will be processed, down 15 percent from 2003 while more than 24 million pounds of Vietnamese catfish or basa and tra have been shipped to the U.S. this year, doubling the 2005 total.
At the same time, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported that Asian specie "catfish" imports from China have almost tripled to 4.1 million pounds of frozen fillets.

For Mississippi catfish growers and producers, the political agenda would seem pretty clear. Trade with Asian fish producers should include the requirement that imported species of any type of catfish be held to the same food safety and production standards as U.S. farm-raised catfish.

Without that requirement, both U.S. and world seafood markets will continue to be flooded with products masquerading as catfish, but will in truth be from a far different Delta than the one in Mississippi that gave birth to the blues - and the livelihoods of more than 4,000 Mississippians will be in danger.

In truth, the catfish flap is a harbinger of similar problems looming in the global economy. Americans flock to cheap goods even at the expense of the American worker. Free markets dictate such choices by consumers, but those choices have consequences.

Will Americans ultimately choose cheaper Chinese or Vietnamese basa or other species over U.S. pond-raised catfish? Americans have shown a propensity to purchase cheaper seafood from Asian markets.

Why is it cheaper? Chinese fish producers can pay their workers 30 cents per hour.

But the Asian imports are also cheaper because the regulatory playing field isn't level for Mississippi catfish producers competing with Chinese producers.

Inspections by Agriculture Commissioner Lester Spell make for convenient election-year headlines, but real help for Mississippi producers lies in the federal realm - where the real brakes on these trade inequities can be and should be applied.
http://www.americaneconomicalert.com/ne ... ID=2625553

Now how do you know where the fish is from? I don't see Country of Origin posted on any fish or other meat in my grocers stores!

I own a restaurant in north Alabama. It has been in my family for 20 years. We have always purchased farm raised catfish from Mississippi or Louisiana. Last November my wholesaler shipped me catfish from, of all places, China! It was written on the boxes and I was furious. I sent it back and called my sales rep ranting about it. He pointed out that it was a better deal...and I pointed out that I would pay more money to support southern US catfish farmers than to get a better deal to support China. I also told him I had no idea as to what is in the water in China where the fish were raised. Suffice to say they have never made the mistake of shipping me catfish from China again.

Now that the tainted fish in Mississippi has occurred, I am even more thankful that I support southern US catfish farmers.....God bless them!

Krazy,

I read an article last week about Chinese foods....the chickens are placed in cages, about 20,000 per cage, over ponds of fish. The fish eat the feces of the chickens!!!

Not only that, but the chickens were eating the same poison that was shipped over here for our pet foods.

I quit buying frozen fish, since I don't know where it comes from....and the only grocery close to us now, is Wal-mart, which I only buy canned goods and bread from them.....

Last week we went shopping for a recliner chair, I asked the clerk if the one I picked out, was made in the USA...she said yes, but they got word the week before, that the last upholstering fabric plant closed in the USA and now they had to have all fabric from overseas.

In truth, the catfish flap is a harbinger of similar problems looming in the global economy. Americans flock to cheap goods even at the expense of the American worker. Free markets dictate such choices by consumers, but those choices have consequences.

Unfortunately too many American citizens are ignorant to the "consequences" and some that know the "consequences" are more interested in saving a dollar than saving our country!