The last few days have been filled with cries "Chinese food is unsafe – look they are poisoning babies."  Well, that certainly is true, but the same thing is happening nearby, and it is not the fault of the Chinese.  Hopefully, when I get there on Sunday afternoon in Beijing, I can get someone to pay a bit of attention. 

The Chinese aside, up a bit North from Seattle, a Manitoba infant has died from listeriosis, Manitoba’s chief medical officer confirmed Thursday.  It’s not known whether the case is connected to the current national outbreak linked to meat products from a Maple Leaf Foods plant Toronto, which has resulted in 17 confirmed deaths.

Food safety is a world wide concern.  According to the World Health Organization, food and waterborne diarrheal diseases are leading causes of illness and death in less developed countries, killing approximately 1.8 million people annually, most of whom are children.