On the Ball: Eat, drink, and be wary

Chinese food quality a concern as 2008 Olympics approaches

Posted by Sarah K. Burkhalter at 4:08 PM on 19 Dec 2006

Read more about: sports | China | food | toxics | health

In 2000, when Beijing made its bid for the 2008 Olympics, it promised to get all cleaned up if it could please, pretty please, be the host. Its wishes came true, but China's goal of throwing a green Olympics seems ever out of reach. To quote ourselves:

China has promised to throw a "green" Olympics in Beijing in 2008 -- but simple livability may be the megacity's bigger challenge. Beijing has 15.2 million inhabitants; if current trends hold, that number could grow to 21 million by 2020. Gridlock is endemic, as the number of cars more than doubled in the past six years. Already-bad air quality is deteriorating. The city's water supply is so overtaxed that some experts are calling for rationing. City officials are racing to replace thousands of old, stinky public toilets, while over a hundred construction projects related to the upcoming Olympics are hurtling forward. Critics blame decades of bad urban-planning policy for the city's problems. "In the past, we never thought of the capacity of resources," said Huang Yan, Beijing's deputy director of planning. "We only focused on development." She's introduced a master plan that includes the bold goal of rendering Beijing "a city suitable for living."

So it's unfortunate, but not surprising, to hear news that China's food is so chemical-laden that athletes who eat it may risk failing drug tests. Even those who didn't take anabolic steroids before arriving in the country may get a healthy (well, unhealthy) dose from their chow mein. Of course, the Chinese folk who eat it every day get an equally unhealthy dose.

Many of the hundreds of millions of China's farmers buy anabolic steroids for their livestock and antibiotics for their fowl from salesmen who promise better prices for bigger pigs and healthier ducks.

Dangerous pesticides, fertilisers and chemical additives to make the produce more attractive also combine with heavy metals washed into the food chain through contaminated rivers and streams.

Add to that poor hygiene and food handling, and the recipe for regular outbreaks of mass food-poisoning is complete.

But, uh, at least Olympians will have solar-powered showers to puke in.

For story: On the Ball: Eat, drink, and be wary
8 Comments | Post a Comment

Oh, you just wait till Patrick reads this!...

I'm just glad someone talked them out of backing the world's largest palm oil plantation in Borneo. They are still cutting down tropical hardwood like there is no tomorrow to impress visitors with nice woodwork. Add to this the shame of letting the dolphin go extinct and I'm getting all depressed. China isn't showing us how to do it right.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 9:39 PM on 19 Dec 2006

China = the US Industrial Revolution

Hmm. I think it's fairer to say that the Chinese are following the US development model. Something like 96% of the forests in the lower 48 were razed during the US Industrial Revolution, and Lord knows how many species were lost.

Cheers

Whiskerfish (in the not yet quite so f*cked up region of southern Africa, but we're learning...)

by Whiskerfish at 2:02 AM on 20 Dec 2006

Cleaned up indeed

Seems like people really have to reach the ultimate peak of development first before realizing that, "Oops, we've gone too far. Time to get green!" Hopefully, China will take action much sooner. No amount of greening up for the Olympics could possibly help if everything else is still running terribly.

Global Business Watch http://www.gbwatch.com

by midnightowl at 7:19 AM on 20 Dec 2006

Right,

I wish the leadership in China could be shamed into a little creativity. You'd think they could at least learn from our mistakes.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 9:31 AM on 20 Dec 2006

China

The thing with China is, they're not going to reach the "peak of development" before they realize they have to go green, because the world's going to run out of a whole variety of stuff before then. The world simply can't supply the entire population of China with the same resource-intensive lifestyle rich Americans "enjoy." Not shouldn't, mind you -- can't. That's what's going to force Chinese leadership to push for a more sustainable path.

In the end, only hard, inflexible limits force humans to change their behavior. But China is hurtling toward those limits.

It's too bad, morally speaking, that we Westerners used us so much more than our share of stuff. But if China can figure out sustainable development, they'll be the world's foremost super-power by the end of the 21st century, and we'll be left with regrets and a whole lot of useless exurbs.

grist.org

by David Roberts at 11:02 AM on 20 Dec 2006

China's Food

I also have grave concerns about the toxic food not only available in China but being imported to North America. It seems it is difficult to escape it at the supermarket. Christmas season upon us and I see families buying boxes of Chinese oranges thinking they are getting their fruit intake and eating healthy.........WOW. I carefully scan the labels before I purchase food and am shocked at the fresh products that are from China. Unfortunately living in a northern community in winter, fresh organic food is not always available nor affordable. Last week I purchased a bag of mixed dry fruit that stated product of USA. When I get home and carefully read, it was packaged in the USA but the strawberries were originally from China. Well the entire contents hit my composter as those chemical laden dried strawberries weren't going into my kids bellies. Later, I thought how careless to even put it in the compost heap! I can't put this into my garden!

by septembervelvet at 10:54 PM on 20 Dec 2006

Hyperbole

China is fair game for criticism, as is anywhere else. But if you intend to make statements such as "gridlock is endemic", you might at least offer some proof, or facts???

I mean, I only live in Beijing, so what do I know? Gridlock in this city of 15 million is far less than in Los Angeles (4 million?) or San Francisco (7 million in the whole bay area?).

We could say of America "Murder is endemic", "Injustice is endemic", "Racism is endemic", "Greed is endemic" or many other perjorative statements. But if we did, we might be expected to offer some level of proof. Or is "Grist the new Fox"?

As to the worsening air quality, says who? I first came here 16 years ago, and while there are many days I don't like the air, it is better now than it was then, despite adding millions in population.

The statement that the population will reach 21 million by 2020 is presented in an alarmist manner, as if that is automatically a bad thing. As far as I know the long term prospects are to reach around 30 million (though I forget by when). China expects to move roughly 600 million people out of the countryside into urban areas (which will benefit the overall environment, as well as help address issues such as poverty). So ALL cities will get bigger. Point being?

Let's talk about food. I am not personally concerned about the meat (since I don't eat it here or in America), but do you really think that the American meat industry is so different? You are really self-delusionary if you think so.

As to "Dangerous pesticides, fertilisers and chemical additives to make the produce more attractive also combine with heavy metals washed into the food chain through contaminated rivers and streams.", what on earth makes you think that America is any different?

And "Add to that poor hygiene and food handling, and the recipe for regular outbreaks of mass food-poisoning is complete.". Who says that there is poor hygiene and food handling? Where and why?

Hysteria.

Based on this kind of statement, I guess you have all given up on eating vegetables after the mass food poisonings in America (EColi anyone)?

Tone and style matter. Factual reporting should be welcome.

Grist gets the FOX news award for the week.

patrick

by bookerly at 7:47 PM on 23 Dec 2006

Chinese Food and the Olympics

The article about the steroids is interesting, I only wish there were more sources than one person. Good reporting should have multiple sources, anything else is dangerous. Is this a real problem or an exagerated one? Hard to tell from the information given.

That said, I am no expert on Chinese food production (and my knowledge was not increased from the article). However, you should note that there is a Chinese organic farming base, I don't know the size, but there are products from greens to rice to wine and tea that all come from organic bases. Many of them appear in regular markets, as well as in vegetarian restaurants.

But, in truth, China is a big country. It is dangerous for anyone to see one thing in China and claim to know about the whole country.

Certainly it struggles with the idea of sustainability and with problems related to everything from pollution to species protection. It will have many failures as well as successes on the road to finding a correct path.

Will China throw a green Olympics? I bet yes. Umm, is interet gambling allowed here? If we can find a way to register them, I could use the money? (smile).

It is also curious that of all the developing countries, only China is subjected to such careful scrutiny in the Western press. Articles about food safety in Africa? India? South America?

Critical coverage of China would not only consist of sporadic hysterical sniping, but an on-going examination of all the issues, dealing with both successes and failures.

The chance of a green Olympics is much greater than the chance of such coverage.

patrick

by bookerly at 8:05 PM on 23 Dec 2006

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