Grocers should rethink imports

Thank you for your news item about Trader Joe’s halting some Chinese imports (“Grocer curtails China imports,” Feb. 12).

I’m sorry to see that the other food retailers mentioned in Jerry Hirsch’s story -- Whole Foods, Fresh & Easy -- are not reviewing their import policies. Not only are there serious safety concerns about the food itself, and the working standards under which that food is produced, but the idea of shipping garlic and spinach across the Pacific Ocean is absurd.

It’s no wonder that U.S. farmers are disappearing as we become increasingly dependent on food that is grown elsewhere.

Dorthea Atwater

Los Angeles