Sam's Club...purveyor of too many imported foods that
 

are available here in the USA.

Shrimp from Indonesia

Ground beef....yes the very bright and picturesque looking ground beef from Mexixo and Canada.

Fresh pork shoulders (whole) from Mexico.

And of course fresh fruits.....almost all of which are from somewhere else in the world.

The shrimp and ground beef set me off this morning. I live in FL and why would anybody buy shrimp from Indonesia. How about Georgia? South Carolina?

Ground beef or "fresh" pork from Mexico? Not in my house.

We do not buy foods that are available from the USA from anybody. It is time to start looking for a local meat market. I know there is one in Bellview and in Wildwood.

Anybody have a local fresh meat source?

PS....I know somebody usually will ask if I know where the meat comes from in the restaurants. No I do not. But as I do in most other issues and subjects I do not like to waste time on the low percentage issues in my life!!

At the Farmer Markets on Thursday and Saturday you can buy local grass fed beef as well as pasture pork and free range chicken from Pasture Prime. Here is their web site - Pasture Prime Wagyu Florida Grassfed Beef

You'd get really upset to find out where a lot of the fresh fruit you buy at the Markets of Marion comes from. How about a can of mushrooms, or most anything else, in any local grocery store? Try to find Florida citrus in local stores. Much of the fruits are now coming from Central America.

My friend, I believe you about two decades late with your recent discovery.

Xavier

Had clams last week at The Lighthouse. Server said that they were from Chile.
It's a global economy.

Yuck! Chesapeake Bay clams, please. Also oysters, fish and crab. Nothing but the best!

Which farmers market? Brownwood?

I always check the country of origin before I buy any food items today. Last time I checked, Sam's only had 2 fish items from the USA. Oh, I only buy US dog foods too.

I saw fresh blueberries from China at Publix. Keep thinking they may have the same stuff in the blueberries that they put in the sheetrock, Yuck!

It's a drive but the beef at Mazzaros in St. Pete is from the midwest never asked about pork etc but if he is that picky about his beef I am assuming he is about the rest of what he sells. love that place. Make the drive every few months with 3 coolers in the back of the suv and stock up. I also purchase from Omaha steaks.

Brownwood on Saturday. I believe it's frozen but not 100% sure.

I don't mind buying products from Canada or western Europe or a developed country other than the US that has equal standards. Lamb from New Zealand and Australia is very good and actually leaves a smaller footprint than US lamb. But I think BTK is as much into Buy America as he/she is into finding fresh local food produced under high standards.

Sam's buys in extremely high volume and so if Sam's is buying foreign you can bet its economically more competitive for them

Yes Saturday at Brownwood. I misspoke about Thursday they are only at Brownwood. You can set up an account online and you can preorder with a pickup on Sat. He freezes all the meat.

Saw some great frozen Lobster Tails at Winn Dixie, they were from Honduras. It's a challenge making the changes from what was available in PA but we are trying, shipping Lobsters from New England is too expensive and why there isn't more local seafood in FL is still mind bending.

Probably because they ship it all to other states and export the rest.

When we lived in SC it was such a treat to be able to go to the different seafood shops and even the dock where the boats came in to get any and all fresh seafood of the season.

I am disappointed for the 10 years we have been here that there is not an availability as in other coastal states??!!

Lighthouse Seafood in the red barn on 466 has local and US sourced fresh seafood.

Thanks!

The blueberries were from Chile, not China, and this time of year much of the fruit we get is from Chile. As Americans, we are now used to getting fruits and vegetables throughout the year, not only during local growing cycles.

I would eat Canadian beef before Mexican, and I only eat American lamb, available from Winn Dixie, and never Australian or New Zealand lamb, which is the only kind Publix sells.

All the cheap shrimp and other seafood served in chain restaurants most likely comes from China, VietNam or Indonesia, which is why it is so cheap.
If you're looking for local fish and shell fish, try Lighthouse Fish on 466 or at Brownwood Farmer's Market (he used to be located in front of Rustic Rose). The fish is fabulous and, when it's foreign, he'll tell you...like Scottish or Irish salmon.

Isn't sam's club same as Walmart? If so wouldn't they get their produce/products from the same places?

Sam's Club and Walmart are owned by the same family.

"If we work together," Sam Walton said, "we'll lower the cost of living for everyone...we'll give the world an opportunity to see what it's like to save and have a better life."

Not everyone agrees that Sam's family made their lives better and that's the rub.

Many folks from the East coast don't like Walmart and Sam's and I have never figured that out. I think they give people from all economic levels an opportunity to buy food and other things for less. They buy in bulk and the vendors know that if they sell them it is a home run. The savings are passed on to the buyers. I like Sam's and Walmart.

If you are going to say that they don't pay well, I don't buy that. A job is better than no job.

I see a lot of tilapia from China. All that good stuff we buy helps the free enterprise system prosper throughout the world. Only the political system is different.

If you are a potential vendor for someone like Sam's you better be prepared to present the best product, with the lowest price and guarantees against any defects or lack of quality and be able to package it the way they want it and ship it where they want it at the time they want it and be able to have the quantity they need.

I actually buy most of my seafood at Publix. I always check the country where it is from. I will never buy farm raised shrimp from Indonesia or Vietnam. Basically, farm raised shrimp from the USA are not ecologically good either. Buy wild caught shellfish and fish whenever possible.

at the suggestion of some posters to this thread, I went to the Lighthouse Seafood store today. What a very pleasant surprise. This is the type seafood store we are accustomed to having available.

They are now our source for fresh seafood.

Thanx for the tip!

We watch what country we buy from too. Look for USA first. Then anywhere but China!

I completely agree. It may be that the US needs to improve what they deliver in those terms (quality, price, availability) in order to compete effectively. With the exception of paying a higher price for exceptional quality or traveling a little further for something distinctive, why would anyone lower their standards? It would be a sad situation if US goods were consistently under par. I have no problem if the US earns the market share they get.

Purchased and returned scallops from Sams. Don't know where they came from but had they the worst ammonia taste ever. Inedible.

A safe bet would be that they were from far away waters.exposed to _ _ ? _ _.

Grass fed beef is available locally. Google it.