[Aurornis]

Actually I think the opposite is true in many cases. Food quality and safety standards are higher than ever.

This stuff sticks out because it’s getting caught and called out. There was a time when information spread slowly, tracking supply chains was basically impossible, and many businesses would do shady things because they knew they were unlikely to get caught.

Now we can sample things like honey with lab equipment that is basically magic compared to technology 50 years ago, so these things are getting caught. We also have the internet to share stories, so they’re getting seen.

So while people are becoming more aware, I think these things are actually better than in the past.

[Retric]

It’s high trust in very specific ways. Walk into a supermarket and a box of X name brand whatever and it’s 99.99% guaranteed to be manufactured by the company it says on the box and be safe to consume no need for holographic stickers or whatnot.

However, pick up a high value product and it’s likely to be some effectively identical fake while still being sold by the company it says on the box. An expensive restaurant is quite likely to be selling you fish when it says it’s fish but it may not be the correct species of fish etc etc.

Eating at a random food truck is safe because we care a lot about safety, but let the buyer beware around just about anything else.

[Aurornis]

> However, pick up a high value product and it’s likely to be some effectively identical fake while still being sold by the company it says on the box.

What is this supposed to mean? Every high value product I purchase is definitely unique to the company that makes it. My laptop, GPU, car, and phone are definitely not some rebranded items.

[Retric]

It’s hard to sell a counterfeit car or GPU without someone noticing a difference.

Clothes, chargers, cables, etc are counterfeit because it isn’t nearly as obvious.

Name brand foods often come with significant markups and would be fairly easy to counterfeit premium bottled water etc. Except as the article mentions food substitutes generally happen earlier in the supply chain not at the grocery store.

[Izkata]

The reverse also happens, knock-offs being as high quality as the name-brand because it's cheaper on the production side to use existing factories/machinery.

[Retric]

I just realized it wasn’t clear, but I meant high value for a grocery store.

[reaperducer]

Actually I think the opposite is true in many cases. Food quality and safety standards are higher than ever.

You are correct. At least in the United States.

There was a university agronomist on the radio a couple of weeks ago talking about how people get all worked up about food recalls. They act like there are more of them than ever before.

She said the amazing thing is that there aren't more recalls, since we produce and consume so much food than ever with so much involved in the process.

She says the system isn't perfect (no system ever is), but it's far better than what we've had in the past and the results are remarkable.

[refurb]

Very true.

I lived in a developing country in Asia and the number of food safety concerns that popped up was far, far lower than what you see in the West.

When another foreigner mentioned how "safe" the food was, I said "yeah, concerns don't pop up because nobody is looking for them".

[Aurornis]

It’s fascinating how the 24/7 news cycle and social media have convinced so many people that everything is awful.

I still hear younger coworkers snidely remark that the US is an “third world country with cellphones” while they live a lifestyle with safety, comfort, and luxury that puts them in the top 1% of people in the world. It’s wild.

[ThePowerOfFuet]

> I still hear younger coworkers snidely remark that the US is an “third world country with cellphones”

Given how things have been going in the US the past few years, I am frankly inclined to agree with them.

Healthcare aside, here is but one example: https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/08/14/new-video-shows-...

[user3939382]

To your point I’m reminded of the meat packing factories in The Jungle which were based on real conditions at that time and place.