Tracing Your Food Sources Can Help Protect You And Your Family In China
If you are new to China, you have likely spent time researching and selecting the best air and water filters on the market. But how much do you know about the food you are buying every day?
In China, the food industry tends to be fragmented and lacks transparency. There is also low awareness about contamination and hygiene standards. Headlines about mislabelled expired meat, arsenic laced soy sauce and melamine in milk help to perpetuate widespread anxiety but dose little to educate consumers about how to protect themselves.
The key to winning the battle for safe food is to be a detective and not just a consumer. By asking the right questions and taking a few simple precautionary steps, you will find yourself on the path to improved health and vitality.
When selecting a green grocer, you will quickly get a sense of food quality based on responses to the questions you ask about farm location (Is it close to a major polluted city? Are factories nearby with runoff?), practices (Where are seeds coming from? What chemicals are used?) and what is grown (Is this in season?).
Be wary of the fact that the majority of the small farms in China use high levels of growth hormones, pesticides and other chemicals to boost crop yields. As a Certified Holistic Health Coach, I’m constantly reminding clients to ask where and how things are grown. In my experience, when suppliers are vague about where their produce is coming from, they are usually buying from the wet market.
Whenever possible, buy directly from the farms offering produce subscriptions or support green grocers who work In China, the food industry tends to be fragmented
and lacks transparency. There is also low awareness about contamination and hygiene standards. Headlines about mislabelled expired meat, arsenic laced soy sauce and melamine in milk help to perpetuate widespread anxiety but dose little to educate consumers about how to protect themselves.
The key to winning the battle for safe food is to be a detective and not just a consumer. By asking the right questions and taking a few simple precautionary steps, you will find yourself on the path to improved health and vitality.
When selecting a green grocer, you will quickly get a sense of food quality based on responses to the questions you ask about farm location (Is it close to a major polluted city? Are factories nearby with runoff?), practices (Where are seeds coming from? What chemicals are used?) and what is grown (Is this in season?).
Be wary of the fact that the majority of the small farms in China use high levels of growth hormones, pesticides and other chemicals to boost crop yields. As a Certified Holistic Health Coach, I’m constantly reminding clients to ask where and how things are grown. In my experience, when suppliers are vague about where their produce is coming from, they are usually buying from the wet market.
Whenever possible, buy directly from the farms offering produce subscriptions or support green grocers who work of food they serve. If the restaurant cannot confirm where the meat is from or if “washing” veggies means briefly running lettuce under unfiltered water you will have issues. When in doubt, avoid the dirty dozen and go for the steamed options on the menu. Be especially wary at juice bars – the last thing you want to do is pay 30rmb for liquefied pesticides!
Although frustrating at times, our awareness about safety and toxins actually presents an opportunity to take a close look into what we are feeding our families. And not all food in China is dangerous or scary. By educating yourself and working with the businesses that promote transparency and sustainability, you will find that eating in Shanghai can actually be delicious and healthy!
Elizabeth Schieffelin is the Director of Marketing at Kate & Kimi, Shanghai’s premier online grocery store offering organic, imported and healthy foods. She is also the founder of Lizzy’s All-Natural, a superfood smoothie company. Elizabeth is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, focusing on women’s health and detoxification and loves to prepare raw and vegetarian foods. Questions? Please email [email protected].
