"Does It Come In China-Free?"

Recent weeks have given us tainted pet food from China, counterfeit drugs, counterfeit toothpaste, recalled toys, and of course there's the ever-present spectre of bird flu. Things are so bad the Chinese government is even executing their former chief food inspector.

I predict (though not fearlessly) that the efforts of the Chinese government to increase product safety and quality will not be enough to stop the desire for speed and profits. These stories of tainted/counterfeit/unsafe everything will continue. In the next few years products will start to be marketed as China-Free just as we can now buy fat-free, gluten-free, peanut free, USDA Organic, locally grown or American-made. A segment of the public will be so afraid of products from China they will actively avoid them and will pay extra for them.