Usually duty-free is far overpriced compared to the market, but on a hunch I purchased a bottle of 2003 Kavaklidere Kalecik (red wine) for 15.50 Euros. Aside from the transportation security antics I had to go through (since Turkey is not in the EU the european airports refuse to let you carry a bottle of sealed wine on-board the aircraft) I found upon return home that the retail price on this wine is US$49.99. Shocking, and also neat to read that the grapes are somewhat rare, but on their way back again:

The Kalecik Karası grape of Central Anatolia which was on the brink of extinction due to the negligence of long years, has taken its deserved place in viticulture as a product of Kavaklidere thanks to the long term efforts of Turkish and French experts of Kavaklidere Wines Inc. and Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture. This special prestige wine has the color of a ruby stone, it is rich, well-balanced, and has a lasting and charming aroma of red fruit, vanillin, and cocoa. It has a light, fresh, and elegant finish. It can be aged for another six years in the bottle.

There really are some superb Turkish wines worth tasting, if you can get them out of the country without the “security” hassles.

The water quality risk, caused by the externality of the chemical herbicide and pesticide industries, as well as other weakly regulated industries that dump waste on people, may also become known as the mercury poisoning of America. The AP has a telling story today about the lack of awareness that not only allows companies to continue poisoning and evade cleanup accountability, but also the susceptibility of consumers to harm on a daily basis:

“We don’t test a lake or river and not find some level of mercury,” [environmental scientist for the North Dakota state Health Department] Ell said. “It’s pretty widespread across the state. We don’t have levels that are high enough to issue any kind of bans, but some lakes have concentrations where, in some species of fish, we just advise people to limit their consumption to smaller fish.”

Mercury is a toxic metal that can cause nerve damage in humans and is particularly dangerous to children, developing fetuses and women of childbearing age.

Lists are starting to emerge from the private sector watch groups as the US government lags not only in stopping the causes, but addressing the symptoms and regulating dangerous levels of mercury sold over the counter:

Oceana says that without in-store signs, most consumers lack the knowledge for good choices.

Its report says stores in Hawaii, the District of Columbia and Alaska are doing the best job of educating consumers, and it put 15 companies on its “green list,” including Safeway, Trader Joe’s and Albertson’s.

Most of the grocery chains that serve West Virginia were on the more than 50-member “red list,” including Kroger, Food Lion, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, IGA, Giant Eagle and Save-A-Lot.

Jeff Lowrance, spokesman for North Carolina-based Food Lion LLC, said there is no state or federal law requiring supermarkets to post such information.

Thanks to weak environmental (read: infrastructure security) regulation, sustainability will decline as the cost of living increases dramatically. In other words, if you are in America, don’t touch the water and don’t eat the fish unless you bring a chemistry set to identify the toxicity; or just outsource your supply to someone who understands the risks.

I had not heard about this until I read Rep Sam Farr’s letter regarding spinach. Freshcut reports that Mexico recently banned import of US lettuce due to health (security) concerns:

The Mexican government claims the ban is a preventative measure, but gave no timetable for when the ban would be lifted other than to say until U.S. lettuce does not “represent some risk for the health of Mexicans.�

The Monterey County Herald suggests the reaction by Mexico seems to have touched a few nerves:

California lettuce recalled as a precaution Sunday over E. coli fears tested negative for a sometimes deadly strain of the bacteria, company officials said Tuesday.

Yet even as The Nunes Company Inc. gave the all-clear on those 8,355 cartons of lettuce, local politicians and growers reacted in disbelief as Mexico banned the import of all U.S. lettuce as a result of the incident.

[…]

“Mexico telling us that they are not going to eat our lettuce because of possible water contamination would be like the United States banning tourism in Mexico,” said Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, referring to diarrhea travelers sometimes experience in Mexico as a result of the country’s water. “What are they thinking?”

Not exactly how I would compare the risks, but I have to admit it is a colorful analogy. Seems like the supply-chain security card is going to be played more and more by nations wanting to find a convenient way to gain leverage even on their partners/allies. The sad thing is how little reliable information is available on the danger as well as the safety of produce on shelves. Should consumers trust their grocer, should the grocer trust the delivery company, should the delivery company trust the grower…

On Monday night, [John Baillie, president of Baillie Family Farms/Tri-Counties Packing, which grows and sells lettuce and celery] said, he watched an expert on a New York City newscast tell consumers to only buy vegetables that can be cooked.

“The last time I cooked iceberg lettuce, it looked like crap,” Baillie said, sarcastically.