Living without Chinese imports

One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy."

In an article in the Boston Globe, Bongiorni wrote that the intent had nothing to do with protesting American jobs lost to globalization. She said they wanted to test their connections to China's vast economy. They found "Made in China" labels everywhere: on toys, TVs, lamps, sneakers, T-shirts. They found them on, Barbie-themed chocolates, coffee makers, toasters, sunglasses. That canned Mandarin oranges came from China was obvious. Less so was the discovery that much of the apple juice comes from China as well as freeze-dried strawberries in breakfast cereal.

What did she learn: "That we turn to China every time we phone a friend, decorate the house for holidays, or pop bread in the toaster. That the flip side to the pain of lost American jobs is the abundant, low-cost goods that had been off-limits to us. That a normal life without Chinese products isn't possible. We are so deeply tied to China that I can't envision how we could step back now."

Because of recent scandals involving Chinese imports -- pet food bulked up with melamine, toothpaste thickened with a product used in anti-freeze, exploding mobile phone batteries -- the perception is that most of the tainted products are being shipped from China. That may not be true. Data from the Food and Drug Administration, as reported in the New York Times, showed that while seafood from China was impounded 391 times last year, produce from the Dominican Republic was seized 817 times and candy from Denmark 520 times.

That data underscores the importance of the Food and Drug Administration doing a better job of inspecting imports -- whether they originated in China or somewhere else. Correction/ Clarification

An editorial Monday misidentified the senior senator from West Virginia, Robert C. Byrd.

This Week's Events