When do we care?

Oh the times when I should bite my tongue.  But I don't.

There was the time when we found out that our children's toys were being painted with lead based toys and then were imported from overseas.  With good reason we were up in arms.  Seriously, who wants their children putting lead based paint in their mouths?

We have cried out with rage with the amount of imports that come in from Asia, and scream at the top of our lungs "BUY AMERICAN MADE".  But somehow we turn around and watch lines of people sleep overnight at the nearest Apple Store to buy the next iPhone when they just bought the last newest iPhone last year at the same time.

Now, granted there are just some things that we will never see come back to the states in the manufacturing world because of the price.  However, what we don't hear is that the U.S. is still the number one country when it comes to manufacturing.  It is a political thing.  You know neither party was going to bring that up during the election.  It would look bad for one party and the other party would have spent to much time defending it.  It wasn't a high priority item.  However, the week after the election was over if you paid any attention to any news show you would have seen that we out produce any other nation when it comes to manufacturing.

So here is where I get on my high horse. It comes around to buying U.S. Made.  With Premier Rocky Mountain Prawn we are willing to provide a fresh local sustainable produce that will not have any antibiotics, chemicals or hormones in it.  People just look at me like "ya, what's your point".  I'm not sure how much information I should give them.  But would it matter?  Over the years there have been several news reports on the national news talking about the conditions of the shrimping industry overseas and what is used in their processing and growing systems.  But while we weren't willing to let our children put a toy in their mouth where there was even the slightest possibility of lead coming off the paint, we will watch Americans stuff their faces with shrimp that has been treated with things that we don't even allow the usage of here in the U.S.  These shrimp are imported from overseas.  Billions of pounds of it come through customs, and less than 1% is even tested.

The European Union has completely banned shrimp from the Asian countries and other places from coming into their country as they gave them a 4 year period to get their act together and provide clean shrimp.  In four years they weren't able to do it.  But the U.S. said send us everything you have.  What is it that Europe happened to know and find that the U.S. is turning a blind eye to?

The U.S. says that aquaculture is the fastest growing segment in agriculture today.  When I search grants that are available for aquaculturist they are primarily available to people researching and helping start farms in the countries that we are receiving shrimp from already.  Not the U.S. farmer interested in providing fresh products.

We are not going to stop the importing of shrimp from overseas.  But the fact that people don't care or want to know what is in the shrimp they are eating instead of shrimp that could be grown in their own backyard with no chemicals at all just astounds me.

Buy America is something that people like to say to make themselves feel better.  The Farmer Market season is just ahead of us.  If you have never been to one, go check them out.  The freshness of the majority of the items will knock your socks off.  There is a way you can buy American.  Your supermarket for the most part has very little that is bought American.  Support the local small farmer.  They will appreciate it, and I bet it's going to be healthy.