Beware of Woodstock Farms products

[Stephanie0523]

Hi guys, I just wanted to share with you guys that I bought a bag of Woodstock Farms "USDA Certified Organic" pumpkin seeds and pine nuts at my grocery store today only to get home and find in small print on the back of the bag that they are "product of China." Lovely. The packaging has tractors and farm stuff all over it. The labels lead you to believe that the product is home grown. Yet it's been shipped thousands of miles away. From China. How can they call that "certified organic?" The moral of this story: Check your labels closely, ladies. Wish I had!

 

[wendy loo]

I've been in contact recently with a woman who writes for my city newspaper on greening and organics. I was asking her about the organic foods I can buy in the grocery store, and whether they are truly organic. She told me they are often grown in China. Yikes. Not what I'm looking for. Now I am researching local farms and farmers markets. It sort of scares me to go shopping for food lately--nothing seems like real food anymore, and all the words like "fresh" and the pictures of farms and cows...yeah, right.

For anyone who has not yet seen Food, Inc., I highly recommend it. I stopped eating meat the day after I saw it, and have become so much more aware of what I'm putting in my body, not to mention what I'm doing to the environment when I don't buy locally.

 

[janie1234]

Yes, . . this is very true. I found a ton of Made in China labels at my Whole Foods. This is why I shop and support my local farmers market instead.

 

[hiitdogs]

Ditto to what Janie said!!!

I try to buy mainly at farmer's markets and directly from local farmers.

I am really annoyed by the deception running so rampant these days. You have to check every single label, can't believe anything that's on the package.

And I don't know if it is just me or is the print of the list of ingredients getting smaller and smaller? My friend is teasing me that I probably need reading glasses but I don't have any problems reading anything else

 

[cindi1]

It's just another thing you have to check the label for when shopping now. It's really aggravating to have to check so much when you are just trying to get through the grocery store. I spend so much time there!

Produce can be really tricky - I always check the sign and the package/sticker to be sure as sometimes you can have the same item from two countries side by side getting mixed together.

Be careful at Farmer's markets though and ask them where the produce came from. I've noticed some sellers were selling the same stuff as the grocery store.

 

[kathryn]

Wasn't there a thread here a while ago about Whole Foods' organics from China?

Kind of defeats some of the reasons for going organic (the "more environmentally friendly" reason, for example).

I also wonder if the stuff from China is "organic" according to some lame Chinese-defined meaning of the term (as in "grown in soil"?).

I definitely do NOT trust most food products or products that will be in contact with my food (like dishes) that come from China.

 

[Boise Guy]

Ok, I gotta chime in...

I drink wine from Spain, France and other countries in the world. Yes, I drive a Subaru, a Japanese car. Yes, I love the Capital City (farmers) Market here in Boise with their local produce. But when I go to the store, I may buy cheese from another country at our local CO-OP. My point? It is an international world. My fresh produce? I buy as much local as possible. Frozen, bottled, canned, I go with brands I trust - knowing the product comes from all over the world.

 

[Gayle]

I drink wine from Spain, France and other countries in the world. Yes, I drive a Subaru, a Japanese car. Yes, I love the Capital City (farmers) Market here in Boise with their local produce. But when I go to the store, I may buy cheese from another country at our local CO-OP. My point? It is an international world. My fresh produce? I buy as much local as possible. Frozen, bottled, canned, I go with brands I trust - knowing the product comes from all over the world.

I love my Japanese car and French cookware...

...BUT China has a pretty poor track record in the safety of some of its food products. Melamine anyone?

ITA with Kathryn, I also avoid cookware and dishware from China...I just don't trust that they actually abide by regulations regarding lead paint and heavy metals and the like. They've had recalls with this stuff (children toys/jewelry) as recently as this year.

 

[Pearlstrand]

And I don't know if it is just me or is the print of the list of ingredients getting smaller and smaller? My friend is teasing me that I probably need reading glasses but I don't have any problems reading anything else

Carola, reading glasses won't help -- you need a magnifying glass to see the fine print!

 

[kathryn]

I drink wine from Spain, France and other countries in the world. Yes, I drive a Subaru, a Japanese car. Yes, I love the Capital City (farmers) Market here in Boise with their local produce. But when I go to the store, I may buy cheese from another country at our local CO-OP. My point? It is an international world. My fresh produce? I buy as much local as possible. Frozen, bottled, canned, I go with brands I trust - knowing the product comes from all over the world.

You're definitely missing the point. It's not just that the products are from another country, it's that--as Gayle said--China has a track record of unsafe food (even producing toxic milk for their own population) and unsafe metals.

Also, it rather contradicts the environmental benefits of eating organic if the food is shipped hundreds of thousands of miles.

 

[kathryn]

And I don't know if it is just me or is the print of the list of ingredients getting smaller and smaller? My friend is teasing me that I probably need reading glasses but I don't have any problems reading anything else

It's not just you.
Even worse is small print on bottles of medication.
Or yellow-on-white print! (I just bought a facial cleanser that has this type of print!)

 

[Davidj]

Where does one buy a magnifying glass?

I agree that it is necessary to read fine print. I have been too lazy to hunt for a magnifying glass -- though with gradually fading eyesight I am in need of one. I especially need it for reading contents of vitimin pills, but it would come in handy for contents of different foods.

Where can one buy a magnifying glass?
-- David

 

[dr.mel_PT]

Wow I can't believe stuff like this is allowed. I actually just bought some Woodstock Farms products yesterday and paid a huge markup might I add. Sucks to know I could've purchased the same stuff for a fraction of the price and it wouldn't have been any worse for me. It really infuriates me that this is passable and what's worse?! The USDA puts their seal of approval on it!!!!!!!!! It makes me sick.

 

[Katerchen]

I am trying to support U.S. food growers/producers by buying stuff that's grown/made in the U.S. Walmart for example still has some stuff made in the U.S.

It is actually sad that products made thousands of miles away and that have to be transported to the U.S. are cheaper than products made in the U.S.

 

[Stephanie0523]

I drink wine from Spain, France and other countries in the world. Yes, I drive a Subaru, a Japanese car. Yes, I love the Capital City (farmers) Market here in Boise with their local produce. But when I go to the store, I may buy cheese from another country at our local CO-OP. My point? It is an international world. My fresh produce? I buy as much local as possible. Frozen, bottled, canned, I go with brands I trust - knowing the product comes from all over the world.

I also adore my Japanese car. My husband works for the Japanese company! I adore my Australian shiraz. I wear many clothes made in China and all over the world... no problem. And I'll eat food from there. BUT when I buy something in the organic section of my store that's company is a FARM and has a big farm on the front touting its homegrown goodness, I expect it to be "homegrown." It was totally misleading.

I adore the farmer's market, but it's impractical for me to buy everything there. I can't even get there until my kids' soccer season ends. (They only are there on Saturday mornings, which is game time...). I also agree with the poster above that said you have to be careful of the farmer's market too. The last time I went to the big market downtown there were fruits and veggies from all over the place. Even California strawberries... um, I live in Tennessee. So it's sad that we have to be wary of everything nowadays. I told my DH the other day that I wanted to move farther into the country and have a couple of acres so I could grow a HUGE garden. (He didn't go for that.)