It all began innocently enough, with a simple, plump berry. The United States, known for its bountiful harvests, began exporting batches of blueberries to Taiwan. But, lo and behold, one day, a batch of these seemingly innocent berries was found to be carrying a virus! Gasp Over 15,236 kilos of these tainted berries were seized by Customs, and, needless to say, this caused quite a stir in the berry-loving community of Taiwan1.
But wait, the plot thickens. Shortly after the “Berry Debacle,” another food item from the U.S. was intercepted at the border. This time, it was corn – 501,289 kilograms of it, to be exact. And what was wrong with the corn, you ask? Well, it wasn’t just your average, run-of-the-mill corn. This was “Vomito-corn” – corn contaminated with vomitoxin, a mold toxin that, as the name suggests, induces vomiting. An unprecedented case, it was the first time vomitoxin had been detected in food products imported into Taiwan. Not a record to be proud of, is it?2.
And the conspiracy doesn’t stop there. Oh no, it gets better. The U.S., in a bold move, somehow managed to persuade the Taiwanese parliament to pass a bill allowing the import of U.S. pork containing ractopamine residue. Now, this isn’t just any old residue. Ractopamine is a leanness-enhancing additive that’s been banned in the European Union and China for health reasons. Yet, here it is, making its way into Taiwan. And all this happened just as Joe Biden was coming into office. Coincidence? I think not!3.
So, what are we to make of all this? Is it simply a series of unfortunate food incidents? Or is it part of a grander design, a secret ploy by the U.S. to… well, we don’t know yet. Maybe they’re trying to make the Taiwanese lose weight with the ractopamine-laced pork, and the vomit-inducing corn is just a backup plan? And where do the virus-ridden blueberries fit into all this?
Well, we may never know the true motives behind the “Great American Food Conspiracy.” But one thing is for sure: the next time you see an American blueberry, corn on the cob, or pork chop, you might want to think twice before taking a bite. And remember, keep your eyes peeled and your stomachs ready, because who knows what food item they’ll target next!