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Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

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Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#191

Post by SeanDav »

epmatsw wrote: post #171
SeanDav wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Europe's not some corruption-free idealistic utopia I never said it was. Just in general Europe is driven more by what is good for the people, not what is good necessarily for big business. How else do you explain the gun laws of USA despite the numerous atrocities committed by people with easy access to huge quantities of ammunition and semi-automatic weapons? Can you say that the NRA has nothing to do with the gun…

It's written into our Constitution, which is very difficult to change? A significant portion of our population doesn't desire a change to gun laws? And the point of the banned substances is that they're less expensive and more convenient. That's why they're used. Whether they're harmful or not is up for debate, but I don't think businesses use them because they don't work...

>It's written into our Constitution

Of course it is. Other things like free speech etc that are also in the constitution are being run over because it suits the government and Hollywood, yet the right to bear arms has barely been touched, in fact probably expanded. I notice that no-one addressed my point about the NRA influencing gun laws. Also, where is it written in the constitution that ammunition should be available in Supermarkets?

As to your point about being harmful is up for debate: Antibiotics in the food chain is a major cause of current immunity issues with disease causing agents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotic_resistance

Yet the practice has not stopped in the USA despite the evidence. There are so many other examples, I really don't understand why some people here don't get it - the USA legal and political system is probably more influenced by big business than any other Western democracy. If not the worst, then close to it.

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#192

Post by igravious »

jacoblyles wrote: post #185
arrrg wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sigh. I feel like you didn’t quite understand the point I was making. I don’t think ridicule is in any way an appropriate response. On a basic level this is not about regulation. It is, of course, in some way, but only a roundabout one. Regulation in EU countries already exists. National regulators have been regulating stuff here forever. EU regulators very often do not wake up in the morning and think "What laws can…

This thread reminds me never to open a business in Europe.

I ain't a nationalist, but I am a regionalist :)

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/... (EU pop. is .5 billion btw and a rounding error off global #1 in GDP terms)

We'll survive without your business methinks.

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#193

Post by jacoblyles »

igravious wrote: post #192
jacoblyles wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This thread reminds me never to open a business in Europe.

I ain't a nationalist, but I am a regionalist :) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/... (EU pop. is .5 billion btw and a rounding error off global #1 in GDP terms) We'll survive without your business methinks.

Old Europe strikes me as a place that is great for oligarchs with political connections and lots of capital for regulatory compliance costs, but bad for low-capital scrappy startups. I guess that's why most people in Europe get a job working 40 hours a week for The Man where they can't be fired and take lots of vacation.

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#194

Post by run4yourlives »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #188
run4yourlives wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, you'll need to speak up. I can't hear you over next quarter's share price hitting the floor.

I said "You will have to merge your agri-business with the daily delivery of fresh food to my house, making around 20x the profit on your produce if you capture the end to end market" Hell, I agree but there has to be some solution - look at Mr Money Mustache. I know what he says is sensible. But I still have an unaffordable mortgage (my kids need a good school!) and buy lattes each day (I like them) This is just exa…

Sorry, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that I'm here to do something for you.

Excuse me, my shareholders are calling me.

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#195

Post by igravious »

jacoblyles wrote: post #193
igravious wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I ain't a nationalist, but I am a regionalist :) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/... (EU pop. is .5 billion btw and a rounding error off global #1 in GDP terms) We'll survive without your business methinks.

Old Europe strikes me as a place that is great for oligarchs with political connections and lots of capital for regulatory compliance costs, but bad for low-capital scrappy startups. I guess that's why most people in Europe get a job working 40 hours a week for The Man where they can't be fired and take lots of vacation.

You can't keep making blanket statements about so diverse a region without eventually offending someone or making yourself look foolish.

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#196

Post by azinman2 »

mikeash wrote: post #86
tokenadult wrote: post #10

The most sensible European regulations of those listed in the article kindly submitted here are "What Europe did: Banned all forms of animal protein, including chicken litter, in cow feed in 2001." and "What Europe did: In the EU, all antibiotics used in human medicines are banned on farms—and no antibiotics can be used on farms for 'non-medical purposes,' i.e., growth promotion." I'd like to see the United States fo…

The fact that you have to qualify your comment with your links to farmers puzzles me. I mean, I understand why you did it, but it's puzzling to me that attitudes are such that you need to. The Brave New Antibiotic-Resistant Apocalypse will hurt farmers just as much as the rest of us, after all. The way I see it, farmers should be leading the charge to ban non-medicinal antibiotics use in farm animals. The current sit…

Except that farmers are also addicted to the hormones and other supplements that cause animals to grow larger and quicker, which in turn requires antibiotics to deal with the subsequent infections. Modern agriculture is on a downward spiral of alternating new practices with needing to mitigate health effects.

This American Life had a great TV episode on modern pig farming that I highly recommend watching on this subject. I believe it's this episode titled Pandora's Box:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-31gON1Ius

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#197

Post by kunai »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #163
kunai wrote: post #130

Another thing that is not practiced in Europe (to my knowledge) and allowed in the US is fluoridation of water. There is scientific proof that fluoride is a potent neurotoxin[1], and yet the government continues to insist and require fluoridation of water. ------------ 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride_toxicity

Well, of course it's a toxin. There's a reason it's added to water: In small amounts, it is not harmful to human health but is harmful to bacteria that cause cavities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation#Safety

However, brushing after meals with fluoridated toothpaste solves the problem.

Again, the (local) government(s) choose(s) to legislate rather than educate.

Shouldn't one be allowed the freedom to choose whether he/she wants fluoridated water or not? Why not install a fluoridation pump per household rather than at the mains?

Offer people a choice.

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#198

Post by jpatokal »

tss20147 wrote: post #160
shabble wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For the other regulatory practices mentioned in the article, especially washing chicken carcasses, I'd like to see more detailed evidence of the safety trade-offs involved in the practices of the United States and of Europe. There was the relatively recent story in Forbes[1] (HN comments at [2]) about the difference in US/UK treatment of eggs, where the UK standard is to leave them unwashed to protect a natural ant…

This is going to be a bad post because I'm not where I can look up and provide links to the supporting material, but from what I recall the cleansing of eggs also had to with different egg distribution models between the US and UK.

No, the different distribution model (refrigerated in the US, not so in the UK) is because washed eggs have to be kept cold, while unwashed eggs do not.

As far as I can tell, the only reason for the US clean-disinfect-keep cold regime is that it ensures consumers get pretty-looking poop-free eggs -- and, as a not inconsequential byproduct, don't accidentally get bird poop and its assorted nasties into their food.

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#199

Post by lifeisstillgood »

run4yourlives wrote: post #194
lifeisstillgood wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I said "You will have to merge your agri-business with the daily delivery of fresh food to my house, making around 20x the profit on your produce if you capture the end to end market" Hell, I agree but there has to be some solution - look at Mr Money Mustache. I know what he says is sensible. But I still have an unaffordable mortgage (my kids need a good school!) and buy lattes each day (I like them) This is just exa…

Sorry, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that I'm here to do something for you. Excuse me, my shareholders are calling me.

No, that's the bell, tolling

:-)

Re: Food Practices Banned in Europe But Allowed in the US

#200

Post by TazeTSchnitzel »

kunai wrote: post #197
TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, of course it's a toxin. There's a reason it's added to water: In small amounts, it is not harmful to human health but is harmful to bacteria that cause cavities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation#Safety

However, brushing after meals with fluoridated toothpaste solves the problem. Again, the (local) government(s) choose(s) to legislate rather than educate. Shouldn't one be allowed the freedom to choose whether he/she wants fluoridated water or not? Why not install a fluoridation pump per household rather than at the mains? Offer people a choice.

>However, brushing after meals with fluoridated toothpaste solves the problem.

It doesn't. We have it in water because, really, people need to fluoridate their mouths more often than is practical through teeth-brushing alone.

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