Bashaw Meats’ reputation suffers unfair tarnishing

Dear Editor:

I’m writing in response to a quote from environmental public health supervisor Kevin McLeod, who stated, “When I think of the risk of contracting some serious food-borne pathogens that could stop young children’s kidneys, then we just can’t ignore these sorts of things.” (Bashaw Meats forced to close doors, Stettler Independent, Dec. 21).

First of all, most people are seeing this statement for what it is — a desperate scare tactic to try to justify the actions that were taken. But for the people that don’t see this, the damage to reputation of this business is irreparable. How can a statement like this be made with no testing being done and no complaints being filed?

In this case, every establishment in Alberta should be closed by Alberta Health Services, because there’s a risk of food-borne pathogen in everything we eat, no matter where it’s prepared, or who prepares it.

Look at the example of Maple Leaf meats and listeria, baby food being recalled because of glass being found and e-coli being found in lettuce, just to list a few.

Unless they’re prepared to have someone stationed at everyone’s house to test every mouthful of food, every sip of every drink, that risk will always be there. Perhaps all businesses connected to Alberta agriculture should be worried about this, as well.

There is a risk in everything we do every day. I could slip in the shower, get struck by lightning when I go outside, get skin cancer from being out in the sun, or get hit by a drunk driver on the road, etc.

If we worry about every risk that we face at every moment of every day, you would never leave your house and you would live in a bubble. How on earth did the human race ever survive without some sort of official or expert telling us what we have to do in order for us to carry on.

I would like to close by saying that Kevin McLeod’s statement is akin to me saying that there’s a chance that I could win the lottery this week, so I should just go on a spending spree right now.

Robert Berry,

Bashaw