Fred Gale - Changing Chinese Diets and World Markets (July 29)

[Angela Granata]

I really enjoyed the presentation from Fred. In live near many East Asians (I live off Sawmill Road in Columbus), and I have the luxury to shop in many Asian markets. I often wondered how "safe" the items I would like to purchase are and Fred did an excellent presentation. I feel that in the readings, we need to understand the massive amount of people who need to be fed and how quickly farmers can produce the food. It was interesting to read in the Cleveland Plain Dealer yesterday how California may not be able to "sell" pork anymore due to regulations many are not adhering to...it makes me wonder what short supply (supply versus demand) will cause and how people will react. Will be go back to many having their own gardens? Will be just make due without certain items? My major concern is the safety of the food and "what pesticides" are being used to grow or feed the "crops."

 

[Sonja Mason-Briscoe]

I didn't expect to learn that China will be the leaders in meat production by 2030. As we discussed in the article, China suffers from not having enough land for grazing, etc. So I ask , how will they lead in the production of "pork, beef/mutton and chicken" by 2030 with limited space. I am both curious and concerned how safe will these meats be. Despite the so called sanitation and production/distribution protocols that have been put in place, I don't feel their rapid and mass production will be sensitive to human counter reaction.

[Sonja Mason-Briscoe]

Fred was so knowledgeable about the manufacturing side of China. I was impressed with his findings. He didn't just focus on Chinese food as a culture but China's food production as a country. I appreciated that Fred also had first hand experience from living in China.

With the controversy of US and China elevated by the previous US president, there seems to be a big disconnect right now in production from China and export. I have noticed that at several Asian specialty grocery stores I shop at many ingredients are out of stock. I do realize that the pandemic has contributed but as Fred discussed there are a lot of other factors like politics responsible for this problem.

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