Lately, the American mainstream press has focused on China’s poor food and product safety record. However, the open secret is that there’s no secret at all. Before the pet food debacle, these same stories would appear in the newspaper, but be buried in the international news section. Now that American pets have died, these same stories are now front-page news. News is all contextual.

If you have any concerns about food safety, you may want to visit a local farmers market. A recent study on organic food indicates that organic foods may be better for you. Not just in the sense that organic foods do not contain pesticides, but that the level of antioxidants in organic foods is greater than that of conventionally grown foods. The real good news is that at many farmers markets, you will find Asian farmers selling organic Asian vegetables.