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Sounds like the Canadian Food Inspection agency screwed the town out of spite. Like they had a target on Ngo's back. Anyone have more details? From the linked E

Sounds like the Canadian Food Inspection agency screwed the town out of spite. Like they had a target on Ngo's back. Anyone have more details? From the linked Eater article: >He suggests that a prior conflict with the CFIA over product labeling motivated them to close the factory before the inspection began. Ngo claims that he had been vocal about their interactions, and speculates “if they shut [us] down, nobody makes any complaints anymore.” >After the government-run lab found Ngo’s product to be safe, he went on to win a court case and an appeal against the government. Even after those victories, the CFIA moved to restrict the sales of his product to the province of Newfoundland. “If I sell there, who will use my product?” Ngo says, pointing out the small population of Newfoundland and its non-existent Vietnamese community. “I could sell maybe one or two cases a month[...] we can’t survive.” The CFIA declined to comment, citing the amount of time that has passed since filing its initial complaint. They could have stopped production in the moldy factory but allowed sale of the remaining product.

rawgabbit 3mo ago
I don’t think he was targeted but he met the reality of bureaucracy. One agency actually funded him and approved the building and allowed him to operate for 11 years. Another agency said you can’t operate or sell because of the growing mold. Another agency said dump the forbidden fish sauce in the sewer. Another agency said to bury it.
- busterarm 3mo ago
  Canadian bureaucracy around food is at times insane (and vaguely racist). Just look up '1985 Jamaican patty wars'.
  - gruez 3mo ago
    From cbc: >In 1985, the Canadian government tried to stop Jamaican bakeries and restaurants from using the term "beef patty." >At the time, Canada's Meat Inspection Act classified a beef patty as what goes in a hamburger. It could contain only meat and seasoning and it couldn't be encased in dough or a crust. Therefore, a Jamaican patty — widely known as a flaky pastry with a spiced beef filling — didn't meet the criteria. That actually vaguely seems reasonable? Especially in contexts where there's only text to go by (eg. on a menu), people might actually be confused.
    - imajoredinecon 3mo ago
      It’s not that it’s unreasonable to think the word “patty” is ambiguous —it’s that it’s unreasonable to spend tax dollars on saving people from that ambiguity
      - SECProto 3mo ago
        > it’s unreasonable to spend tax dollars on saving people from that ambiguity I quite appreciate the taxpayer funded regulation of technical terms - I like being able to buy ice cream at the store and know if it's "ice cream" or "frozen dessert". Or "cream cheese" vs "cream cheese product". Or many other similar things. The Jamaican patty and fish sauce ones are problematic, but also happened 25-40 years ago.
        jstanley 3mo ago
        Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which terms are regulated and which ones aren't? Don't you think it would cause more confusion if people expecting to buy a Jamaican beef patty instead have to buy a "Jamaican beef-inside-pastry product" ?
        gruez 3mo ago
        >Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which terms are regulated and which ones aren't? Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which professions are regulated and which aren't? If not, should we get rid of professional licensing? >Don't you think it would cause more confusion if people expecting to buy a Jamaican beef patty instead have to buy a "Jamaican beef-inside-pastry product" ? This feels like a strawman given that they settled on "Jamaican patty", which is reasonably brief and certainly less confusing than the original term of just "beef patty".
        bob001 3mo ago
        > Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which terms are regulated and which ones aren't? The solution is to ensure all common terms people expect in a daily shopping are covered. Thus why "beef patty" was covered. Sounds like you agree with the government on this one. Not covering it would make it confusing for people who would then need to keep track of which common terms are covered and which are not. Its a bit silly at times but as you noted yourself the alternative is even worse.
- snapplebobapple 3mo ago
  Choose one of the bureaucracies and shut it down. It doesnt even matter which one you choose, it will be a better outcome
  - inigyou 3mo ago
    I choose the EPA.
ddevnyc 3mo ago
Smelly, rotting fish sauce that needs to be handled in hazmat suits? In Europe that's called a "condiment".
- deleted 3mo ago
  [deleted]

rawgabbit 3mo ago

I don’t think he was targeted but he met the reality of bureaucracy. One agency actually funded him and approved the building and allowed him to operate for 11 years. Another agency said you can’t operate or sell because of the growing mold. Another agency said dump the forbidden fish sauce in the sewer. Another agency said to bury it.

busterarm 3mo ago
Canadian bureaucracy around food is at times insane (and vaguely racist). Just look up '1985 Jamaican patty wars'.
- gruez 3mo ago
  From cbc: >In 1985, the Canadian government tried to stop Jamaican bakeries and restaurants from using the term "beef patty." >At the time, Canada's Meat Inspection Act classified a beef patty as what goes in a hamburger. It could contain only meat and seasoning and it couldn't be encased in dough or a crust. Therefore, a Jamaican patty — widely known as a flaky pastry with a spiced beef filling — didn't meet the criteria. That actually vaguely seems reasonable? Especially in contexts where there's only text to go by (eg. on a menu), people might actually be confused.
  - imajoredinecon 3mo ago
    It’s not that it’s unreasonable to think the word “patty” is ambiguous —it’s that it’s unreasonable to spend tax dollars on saving people from that ambiguity
    - SECProto 3mo ago
      > it’s unreasonable to spend tax dollars on saving people from that ambiguity I quite appreciate the taxpayer funded regulation of technical terms - I like being able to buy ice cream at the store and know if it's "ice cream" or "frozen dessert". Or "cream cheese" vs "cream cheese product". Or many other similar things. The Jamaican patty and fish sauce ones are problematic, but also happened 25-40 years ago.
      - jstanley 3mo ago
        Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which terms are regulated and which ones aren't? Don't you think it would cause more confusion if people expecting to buy a Jamaican beef patty instead have to buy a "Jamaican beef-inside-pastry product" ?
        gruez 3mo ago
        >Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which terms are regulated and which ones aren't? Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which professions are regulated and which aren't? If not, should we get rid of professional licensing? >Don't you think it would cause more confusion if people expecting to buy a Jamaican beef patty instead have to buy a "Jamaican beef-inside-pastry product" ? This feels like a strawman given that they settled on "Jamaican patty", which is reasonably brief and certainly less confusing than the original term of just "beef patty".
        bob001 3mo ago
        > Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of which terms are regulated and which ones aren't? The solution is to ensure all common terms people expect in a daily shopping are covered. Thus why "beef patty" was covered. Sounds like you agree with the government on this one. Not covering it would make it confusing for people who would then need to keep track of which common terms are covered and which are not. Its a bit silly at times but as you noted yourself the alternative is even worse.
snapplebobapple 3mo ago
Choose one of the bureaucracies and shut it down. It doesnt even matter which one you choose, it will be a better outcome
- inigyou 3mo ago
  I choose the EPA.

ddevnyc 3mo ago

Smelly, rotting fish sauce that needs to be handled in hazmat suits? In Europe that's called a "condiment".

deleted 3mo ago
[deleted]