One of the most popular holiday gifts in China is ginseng, stamped with an unusual guarantee: 100% American.
Few consumers are more faithful to American products than Chinese users of ginseng: the U.S. exported $77.3 million in ginseng roots last year, most of it to Hong Kong, and American ginseng fetches the highest price of any cultivated variety.
The Asian market prizes the American strain for its stronger flavor and high levels of the active ingredient that is said to unlock the root's myriad but unproven health benefits.
The other part of the U.S.' competitive advantage is favorable feng shui. Ginseng grown in North America is said to have a "cool" nature and calming effect, which means it can be taken daily; Asian ginseng is considered "hot" and must be consumed in limited quantities.
American ginseng is cheaper in the U.S. than in China. In the San Gabriel Valley, herbal stores cluster on streets near hotels popular with tourists, their shelves loaded with red boxes covered in quality seals and branded with American flags.
But an American flag is no guarantee of American authenticity, said Tom Hack, international marketing director for the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, where he says up 95% of the U.S. crop is grown.
In a recent survey at an Asian food expo in Southern California, the board found that less than 12% of ginseng products labeled as Wisconsin ginseng actually came from Wisconsin.
Hack says American ginseng purchased in America is more likely to be Canadian, or....
Chances are, he said, the Chinese tourists "are taking Chinese-raised 'American ginseng' back with them."
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-adv-ginseng-american-20150301-story.html#page=1
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