About products from China....

[AngusThermopyle]

Thats true. It really pisses me off when I see our leaders so eager to jump into bed with the Chinese. I guess the Tibetan people don't count for much in their estimation.

The Chinese ruling class don't appear to give much of a damn about anyone actually. They are apparently adopting the Alberta COR safety program, I believe this is purely for appearances sake. They have an absolutely horrendous record when it comes to worker safety. I wonder how many workers they'll kill in the process of preparing for the Olympics.

[sharkman]

Our future was tied to China starting in the early nineties, and I don't think the Western consumer will turn away from cheap Chinese products unless a disaster occurs entailing many human deaths and Chinese food products.

[margrace]

If you must buy out of country, then India has much better clothing than China

[sharkman]

Costco's Kirkland Jeans are pretty decent for everyday wear and made in Canada. $17.00. I just got something from Sears that was made in Pakistan and I'm happy with that.

[betsy]

Costco's Kirkland Jeans are pretty decent for everyday wear and made in Canada. $17.00. I just got something from Sears that was made in Pakistan and I'm happy with that.

Thanks for telling us about Kirkland. There's bound to be more Canadian products that are trying to compete price-wise with cheap imports.

Our government should do something to let the Canadian consumers know about the existence of these products....since I'd bet a lot of these are small businesses who don't have enough capital to spare to heavily advertise.

An aggressive media ad informing us about EXCLUSIVELY made-in-Canada products would be good for us all.

If Sharkman didn't mention Kirkland, I wouldn't even guess that there is such a brand lowly-priced as this made in Canada!

Edited August 26, 2007 by betsy

[Riverwind]

An aggressive media ad informing us about EXCLUSIVELY made-in-Canada products would be good for us all.

I know the cotton for those jeans was not grown in Canada and I am guessing the denim is imported from somewhere. So you are bound to be disappointed if you insist on things that are exclusively made in canada.

[sharkman]

I know the cotton for those jeans was not grown in Canada and I am guessing the denim is imported from somewhere. So you are bound to be disappointed if you insist on things that are exclusively made in canada.

I suppose it depends on how high you set the bar. Personally, if it says Made in Canada, that's good enough for me.

[Riverwind]

I suppose it depends on how high you set the bar. Personally, if it says Made in Canada, that's good enough for me.

That would be fine for non-consumable goods but the labelling rules for foodstuffs are meaningless. A bottler in Canada can (and do) import apple juice concentrate from China, add water and slap a 'made in canada' label on it. I urge everyone to pester their MP and ask that these rules be tightened up to protect Canadian companies who really do sell a made in Canada product.

[betsy]

One of our posters is concerned upon knowing he's been drinking from coffee mugs made in China. That got me worried.

Lo and behold, our dinner sets are made in China. I've yet to find out about the mugs which I got from Canadian Tire (the cheap ones)...they've got no labels.

Then I thought about those parboiled rice like Uncle Ben's and Dainty rice etc., Back home, I remember my mother's strict instructions to wash the raw rice at least 3 times before cooking. I never asked her why....but now it makes me wonder if even then, there was already some concern about how rice was being produced and handled.

It also makes me wonder if these producers of rice that gets parboiled before being packaged ever wash the rice at all?

I looked up where Dainty Rice is made, but it says packaged in Canada. At the front, it says US Rice...do I assume that the rice was grown in the USA?

I intend to call companies with those 1-800 numbers to bluntly ask where their products really come from. Perhaps if consumers starts flooding them with calls, these companies will realize that consumers are really seriously concerned, and will prompt them to do a conscientious quality control.

"Made in Canada" is good enough for me....provided that our own system does a good and conscientious job to ensure that we are not being lulled into false security by the label: made in Canada.

The high standards/reputation of being MADE IN CANADA should be protected and maintained.

And yes, definitely call the MP. The government needs to do something. Not only are the citizens' health being jeopardized....but who ends up footing the bill healthcare-wise?

Edited August 31, 2007 by betsy

[buffycat]

Back home, I remember my mother's strict instructions to wash the raw rice at least 3 times before cooking. I never asked her why....but now it makes me wonder if even then, there was already some concern about how rice was being produced and handled.

It also makes me wonder if these producers of rice that gets parboiled before being packaged ever wash the rice at all?

Washing or rinsing rice is usually done to remove excess starch, which causes the rice to be sticky and clumpled. Parboiling is done with steam while the rice is still in the husk. Since steam, by definition, is at least 100C in temp I think one could consider this step as 'washing'.

If you are concerned about your rice may I suggest buying a nice Basmati from India? Or a lovely jasmine rice. Easy to cook and wonderful to taste. There is also the earthy full flavoured Native Rice available here - it's expensive - but if you mix some of the wild rice with say a basmati or brown rice the result is quite delicious.

Sadly, so much of our commercial rice is becoming GM... But that's a whole other topic.

WRT products from China, I think one should try to differentiate between products which are mass produced and those which really to benefit the artisans and makers. For instance there is a shop here in town who sells mostly furniture and folk art from China. On the wall near the door they have pics of all the villages and people they deal with, complete with interesting stories about the origins of the piece, who made it and a little about their families and lives. I find this shop to be a wonderful combination of business and social conscience - for the villagers they retain their lifestyle (ie are not forced to work as near slaves in sweatshops, and for the consumer one can buy some really beautiful hand made pieces - a win win.

Mugs and cheap toys are a totally different story though.

[lost&outofcontrol]

I am getting sick of this narrative. It is the consumer that is ultimately to blame because they demanded the cheapest price and did not care where or how it was produced. snip...

What if the consumer if left no other options; either because the only available products are Chinese made or because the consumer cannot afford the domestic products as his/her job was outsource to China?

[lost&outofcontrol]

The thing is, this subcontractor (China) has been screwing up a lot of jobs.

Why are you defending the interest of the company? The board of directors can blame anyone it wants. You on the other hand hired/payed the company for a product that is unsafe. You have no direct link with the contractor, only to the company itself (or the immediate seller).

I say boycottt the Chinese Olympics. as well. Slave labor is slave labor is slave labor. The factory masters are rather brutal about it as well. There's no reason that China should get a free pass.

Funny you should post something about China's labour situation. ‘Undue influence’: Wal-mart, Google, GE press China to curb workers’ rights

In March 2006, the Chinese government, with broad popular support, proposed changes in labor law with significant increases in workers’ rights. The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham), the United States China Business Council, Wal-Mart, General Electric and even Google immediately went on the offensive. There are reports that Wal-Mart and General Electric threatened to pack their bags for Pakistan and Thailand if the proposed reforms became law.

Nine months later the Chinese government put out revisions of its original proposal that reduced some of the contractual, collective bargaining and severance rights that were featured in the first proposal.

The transnational corporate and big business operatives in China openly claimed credit for the changes.

“We have enough investment at stake that we can usually get someone to listen to us if we are passionate about an issue,” Scot Slipy, Microsoft’s director of human resources in China, explained to a reporter from Business Week last year.

Time for some moral consistency.

Agreed

Edited September 5, 2007 by lost&outofcontrol

[lost&outofcontrol]

Mattel apologizes to China for toy recalls

"But it's important for everyone to understand that the vast majority of those products that we recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in Chinese manufacturers."

[Shakeyhands]

Hmmm....did Canadians whine about the same type of "outsourcing" when American based companies sent jobs to Canada, and continue to do so?

What kind of outsourcing are you refering to?

[jbg]

Mattel apologizes to China for toy recalls

I tend to believe that Mattel's "retraction" was forced through political correctness.

[Topaz]

Why is there just a double standard in this world? China we all know treats its people very badly for standing up against their rights and yet Little Cuba who is said to be like China is abandon from any business without the world! I've heard that alot of the manufacturing in China is done by the Chinese army who has ownership. So, is it any wonder these products are bad?? The US get rid of depleted uranium in its bombs, so China gets rid of Lead through its paints, probably other countries are doing the same.

[lost&outofcontrol]

Why is there just a double standard in this world? China we all know treats its people very badly for standing up against their rights and yet Little Cuba who is said to be like China is abandon from any business without the world! I've heard that alot of the manufacturing in China is done by the Chinese army who has ownership. So, is it any wonder these products are bad?? The US get rid of depleted uranium in its bombs, so China gets rid of Lead through its paints, probably other countries are doing the same.

huh?!

[sharkman]

I tend to believe that Mattel's "retraction" was forced through political correctness.

Your link is beyond bizzare. I suspect the Chinese Government is twisting arms behind the scenes, and I hope it's because they are noticing a drastic backlash in response to not only the toys, but the tires, the pet food, the toothpaste, the cough medicine and who knows what else.

[jbg]

Your link is beyond bizzare. I suspect the Chinese Government is twisting arms behind the scenes, and I hope it's because they are noticing a drastic backlash in response to not only the toys, but the tires, the pet food, the toothpaste, the cough medicine and who knows what else.

Sharkman, I was a bit tired while I was doing my post. I was trying to say exactly what you're saying, much better.

I give credit where credit is due.

[kimmy]

Mattel's apology concedes their own responsibility for poor design that created choking hazards in the form of small, breakable, easily-swallowed parts. Fair enough, but it was the lead paint issue that created the most bad press for China (and deservedly so.)

-k

[Higgly]

This was one of the most extraordinary things I have ever seen on American television. First, we have the complete humiliation of Mattel (in the form of its CEO!) in front of its most important market on every possible broadcast medium. Secondly, we have the representative of the Chinese government lording it over the guy and saying "We hope Mattel has learned a lesson."

This story has not been told in its entirety. I smell an Olympian deal here! You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen...

Edited September 24, 2007 by Higgly

[jbg]

This was one of the most extraordinary things I have ever seen on American television. First, we have the complete humiliation of Mattel (in the form of its CEO!) in front of its most important market on every possible broadcast medium. Secondly, we have the representative of the Chinese government lording it over the guy and saying "We hope Mattel has learned a lesson."

This story has not been told in its entirety. I smell an Olympian deal here! You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen...

It hasn't. I agree.

I think there was some major armtwisting by China, a major supplier to Mattel, to the effect that if Mattel didn't "re-educate itself" on the source of the hazards, a lot of little boys and girls would be disappointed at Christmas this year.

[kengs333]

Well, the western world is sowing the wind by making China an economic powerhouse, and it's only a matter or time before we reap the whirlwind. Corporations want to export jobs overseas in order to exploit cheap labour and increase profit margins, well, I have no sympathy for them when it backfires. The sad thing is that the theory that the consumer can prevent the loss of jobs by buying products not made in China really doesn't work when there is no other option but to buy products made in China. For me something made in China has always meant that it is cheap, the Chinese gov't forcing corporations to publically apologize will never change that.