Melamine scare!

Another reason for this boycott!! I have to admit we haven't been totally diligent the past few months but seeing something like this sure puts things back into perspective for us.

China milk poisoning incidents make everyone afraid to look at the daily news report. Everyday, the reports are changing. No one can clearly tell us what to eat and not to eat. 1.What really is poisoned milk? It is the milk powder mixed with 'MELAMINE' What is Melamine use for? It is an industrial chemical  use in the production of melawares. It is also used in home decoration. ' US resistant board' Do you understand? Melamine is use in i ndustrial production & it cannot be eaten. 2.Why is Melamine added in milk powder? The most important nutrient in milk is protein. And Melamine has the same protein that contains 'NITROGEN' Adding Melamine in milk reduces milk content and it is cheaper than milk so it lowers capitalization.  It can give the business man more profit! Below is Melamine; doesn't it look like milk? It doesn't have any smell, so cannot be detected. 3.When was it discovered$B!)(B Year 2007, US cats and dogs died suddenly, they found that pet food from China contains Melamine. Starting 2008, In China , an abnormal increase in infant cases of kidney stones. August 2008 China Sanlu Milk Powder tested with Melamine  Sept. 2008, New Zealand gov't ask China to check this problem Sept. 21, 2008, lots of food products in Taiwan tested with Melamine 4.What happens when Melamine is digested? Melamine remains inside the kidney. It forms into stones blocking the tubes.  Pain will be eminent and person cannot urinate. Kidney will then swell. Although surgery can remove the stones, but it will cause irreversible kidney damage.    It can lead to loss of kidney function and will require kidney dialysis or lead to death  because of uremia. What is dialysis? In fact, it should be called 'blood washing'; it is filtering all of the body's blood into  the machine and then go back to the body. The whole process takes 4 hours and it is necessary to dialysis once for every 3 days for the rest of your life. Here is a dialysis center Large dialysis center A small hole is required in the arm to insert the sub-dialysis catheter. Why is it more serious in babies$B!)(BBecause the kidney is very small and they drink a lot of milk powder.  Here is a baby undergoing dialysis. China currenty has 13,000 infants hospitalized It does not matter how much a human being took Melamine. The important point is  'It cannot be EATEN!' 5.What are the foods to be avoided? Foods that contain dairy products should be avoided. Remember: Foods with creamer or milk should be avoided. 6.Which companies are affected? Hereunder are the companies affected with Melamine. 7.What do we do next? Avoid the above foods for at least six months. If you have snack bar, restaurant or coffee shops, stop selling dairy products for the meantime. If you have infants at home, change to mother's milk or find other substitutes. Finally, share this information with friends so they will understand the risk of milk poisoning.

Was this made in China Mom?

Okay, so I'm not as good or even as witty a writer as my husband but I still think it's important for me to post on here once and a while. I am the main purchaser for the family so it only makes sense.  

I am really excited about our new adventure. For those of you who know me know I'm always looking for the next new challenge... as if having 3 young children isn't enough of a challenge at the moment. I like to just dive right in... so here we go, no better time like the present, right?

So far the biggest challenge for me with this adventure is remembering to check where the product is made. When I have my daughters with me they seem to be good most of the time reminding me by blurting out "was this made in China Mom!" but sometimes it completely slips my mind. Like the other day we were going through the check out with our groceries and I went to put a box of straws on the counter when I realized I hadn't checked where they were made... China! of course. The same brand of straws I bought last year were made in Thailand. Why couldn't they be made there this year. It would have made things simple for me plus it would have saved me a trip back to the isle they came from, which with 3 small children can be a task in and of itself. At least I didn't buy them before I realized, otherwise I would have to drive back to the store to return them. 

Oh and trying to find a birthday present for a 4 year old in a small town that my 5 year old thinks is "special" enough is nearly impossible. We did manage to find some "special" markers and construction paper made in the USA and my 5 year old decided to give her one of her "special" toys. 

My goal for the week is to remember to check the item as soon as I pick it up. I will try to keep you posted on how that is working out for me.

M

First shopping trip.

We went on our first major shopping trip on Monday. Living in a small town in BC you have to go elsewhere when there is a need for some serious restocking of the shelves and this time we chose Spokane, Washington. How did we do avoiding Chinese products, well really well. It also helped that some of the kids would look at every product they were interested in and ask at the top of their lungs "is this made in China?" Kids can be so embarrassing at times as they are brutally honest. They really helped in our quest.

As you can imagine, almost every toy out there is made in China especially the lower end plastic products. We did manage to find some books for the girls that were made in North America, not that they need any more books but at least they got something. My wife found clothes that she was needing and although there were a lot of clothes made in China, there were a lot that weren't. Again we seemed to do really well at Old Navy where a majority of our dollars were spent.

Shoes. That is the tough category, could not find any summer shoes out there that weren't made in China. Flip Flops forget it. I looked at my runners that I bought a couple of years ago while I was in training, Mizuno brand, sound European doesn't it. Nope, made in China. So shoes will be the trouble spot. Oh yes, and hair clips.

There was one store we looked at in Spokane where every single product was from China, unfortunate because they had really nice stuff.

One point for the Chinese though. I won a bid for some microphones on ebay a few weeks ago and they arrived yesterday. Turns out they were made in China. We had to really look all over them to find a country of manufacture and it was hidden inside the shaft. Sneaky. I ordered those before we started this so I have to let it slide.

One week down. The unfortunate thing about the trip is the speeding ticket I got on the way back for going 35 in a 25 zone! I know some police officers here that would never write a ticket that lame. That ticket eliminated any possible savings for the day, if the ticket stands 'cause I'm gonna fight it.

The start of the trip

It could have been the toy recalls, maybe it was the stories coming over of prisoners being harvested for their organs. Perhaps it was the report of recycled condoms being reworked into hair elastics. Wherever the final push came from we are now over the edge. A vow was made yesterday between my wife and I that we would no longer buy any products made in China. The start date for this is March 25, 2008. 

Is it even possible to avoid all made in China products? Nearly every product you look at these days comes from that smog creating behemoth of a nation. First, let me set the record straight right off  the bat: I am not racist, I do not hate Chinese people nor do I want to see them suffer. However, I will not sacrifice the well being of my country and family to save a few bucks at the checkout stand. I currently own some well made Chinese products that I use every day, but I want my money to stay in North America. Its where I live, work and play.

This will be an experiment. It may cost us a lot more in the long run, but if one family can do it, maybe more will be inspired to do the same. Perhaps in time we will see industries that have faded from our landscape start to return and flourish. Toys, textiles and tableware. If the Chinese can make it so can Canadians and Americans.

To start we will only be avoiding Chinese products, goods produced in surrounding countries will be OK. A quick look around shows that there is hope. My panasonic phone was made in Mexico. My Mac computer is from California. My Jeep was made in Indiana (I believe) and my wife's Grand Caravan is made in Ontario. Dining room table is Canadian, as is the kids new bunk bed. Book shelves in the living room are made in the US and my Yamaha guitar is Japanese. There is more lots more, showing that there is still hope for us in our quest.

Oh, and if you are wondering why it's called a Van Trip, it's because our last name starts with Van. Dutch imports in Canada.

March 26, 2008

The only purchase made today was a bottle of International delight coffee creamer for the office. Made in the USA. One successful day of avoiding Chinese made products.