I'm haunted by memories of blue plastic found in pet foods last year.

Yes, yes, and YES!  I'm beyond weary trying to put safe food on the table and on the floor because of the games played w/ food supply and lack of safety.  There's a simple reason we lack a truth in labelling law.

If only!  But Americans in particular are spoiled.  We want fast, we want cheap.  Not talking about the Itchmovians, I'm preaching to the choir.  We need to get everyone we can persuade to vote w/ their $$$.  No more toxic, dangerous food on tables from coast to coast would certainly change the way our food supply is going.  In one of the links I was reading about fertilizer used on what is grown on perhaps farms you visit locally.  The soil may be poor and full of garbage from the melamine in our own fertilizer.  Grass fed cattle?  Sounds good but what went on the grass in terms of fertilizer?  Still, I'm voting locally grown.  Organic, locally grown. 

JJ, Jake was on Orijen when the vet said he needed more fiber.  He's eating lots of veggies.  Yesterday I held my breath and offered All Bran, just a couple of tablespoons.  It looks as if it is made from cardboard, but Jake liked it.  A friend gives it to her dogs and swears by this as a source of added fiber to help them clear their anal glands.  Her dogs live into their teens, so I guess if it hasn't killed them over this length of time Jake can have it for a few months?

Thanks for the prompt feedback!  I know many ppl use ZoneAlarm and like it.  I've never tried it.  We've been more than pleased w/ Kaspersky!  BitDefender was rated slightly higher this year, but I'm tempted to stay w/ something that has worked so far w/ our various s/w.  I do use gmail quite a bit.  Having just changed ISP I've switched alot of personal mail to gmail.  Even have my Itchmo friends in a group in gmail, although I will never send a group mail out to the Itchmo group.  It just make ppl here on Itchmo easy to find, both by their screen name and real name.

We're on a home network.  Used to use WinProxy on our NT Server, and then WinProxy got expensive, especially since we no longer use the home office for a real business since retiring.  However, if your computer network at work is in need of new secure solutions, tell your IT person to take a close look at WinProxy.  Viruses just don't get past it, nor can hackers break thru. 

Still open to all suggestions. 

And stop sending US food products to China for processing and eventual return here after being exposed to possible contamination or adulteration!  I'm so weary from checking labels, calling companies, writing emails, worrying about what Jake and his people might consume that would be harmful.

I'm shopping for new computer security s/w.  Looking at BitDefender, Kaspersky, Avast!, even thinking of going back to Norton which I''m told no longer slows things down like it used to.  I'd like firewall, antivirus, anti-spam, anti-spyware all in one package.  Kaspersky is good but expensive to update.  However, cost of not having best protection I can find could be higher in terms of lost time and infections planted.  Any suggestions?  Am tempted to try several, including TrendMicro that offer free trial period, but that's a hassle, too.

straybaby, where I live the "American Dream" has turned into a living American nightmare in our public schools.  It's so different from when I went to school it seems foreign.  Makes me feel as if I've lived too long at times.  I would post some of the things that I know for certain are going on but it isn't fit for forum reading!    What I know should or would be censored for sex, drugs, violence and starting in early grades. 

Trudy, if you get to a library or another way to be online w/ your Itchmo friends let us know how we can help.  Does a local grocery offer gift cards?  I like the idea of a post office box for you, too. 

Our sweet potatoes lately have been coming from Canada.  Not organic but have been very good.  Eating more of them than usual because Jake is getting sweet potato ea night as part of his dinner.  He needs extra fiber for anal gland problem and doesn't like pumpkin.  DH usually buys organic but it depends on where our grocery list takes him, which is frequently a Haggen close to us when not the weekly trip to New Seasons, where most of our organic produce comes from.

Jake doesn't like canned pumpkin!  He is eating baked sweet potato ea night now, and I'm occasionally mixing in some canned pumpkin.  He's reluctant when I do but usually still cleans his bowl.  The two cereals are from major brands and not store brands, but today that doesn't mean much.

They think we're totally spaced out, and perhaps most are exactly that.  How many people do you know who actually have added 2+2 and even give a thought to baby formula here in USA?  The majority of consumers are blissfully unaware.  I have a friend who is tube feeding a puppy w/ a formula for dogs.  The first thing that crossed my mind was "I wonder if this is safe or why wouldn't it contain melamine" and was so tempted to suggest she make her own formula starting w/ goats milk.  It would be awful to feed poison to a puppy that was already in distress.

Shredded wheat bits and All Bran are on today's grocery list because we want to add fiber to Jake's diet in a number of ways.  I'd planned to get major labels and not store brands, but still I wonder if we'd be poisoning him instead of trying to make him healthy.  Also, I thought I would eat a spoonful of these myself when giving it to him to help make him more interested, working into a between meal snack while counting carbs in my eating plan.  I'm skeptical about anything we don't make from scratch around here and that includes breakfast.

3catkidneyfailure makes a good point.  What about industrial grade milk protein concentrates?  Meanwhile, although I don't live in her state I think I should write Representative Rosa DeLauro a note, thanking her for calling it like she sees it and asking her to bring up those industrial grade milk protein concentrates.  Wouldn't hurt to ask if various egg sources found in so many products here in USA are safe.  (OK, we know the answer but powedered egg, etc, in so many things on our grocery shelves need to be included in this.) 

The only difference between melamine in our food supplies and a bomb is that a bomb is likely to kill quicker and perhaps be harder for our gov't to ignore.  I thought it was illegal to poison people, pets, farm animals? 

Chinese milk products banned in USA and promises of testing for melamine reported in Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/13/AR2008111303798.html?hpid%3Dsec-health&sub=new

I found it strange that the article reports "melamine in finished products would likely cause no harm."  Or something along those lines.  Since when???