As ManufactureThis has reported numerous times, the safety of imports from China is open to question.  An AAM study in December spelled out the need for “safe trade” to address toxic imports.  And Richard Miniter, the report’s author, has noted that a potential worse case scenario from tainted Chinese products “could cost thousands of Americans their lives.”

It’s not just the possibility of tainted toothpaste and lead-based toys that are discouraging American from buying Chinese exports, however.  Growing awareness of labor abuses and wanton environmental pollution has discouraged many Americans from supporting Beijing’s regime.

  This disenchantment has now reached mainstream America, with the Trader Joe’s supermarket chain announcing yesterday that it will phase out sales of certain questionable Chinese food imports including frozen spinach and edamame (soybeans).  According to Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki, “customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region, and we have listened.”

It remains to be seen if the same concerns will wind their way up to Capitol Hill and help to drive the passage of legislation to address unsafe imports.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 4:07 am and is filed under Holding China Accountable. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.