“A trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.” This proverb, though very classic and venerable, is chillingly accurate in scenarios such as the above, where things as basic as bread are employed as a hazard. Hardly a short time ago, some of my clients informed me in Biloxi, Mississippi, and to a valid rationale for their opportune moment had determined that razors had been inserted into their bread loaves, said bread loaves received from two of their local Walmart stores.
The identified person is a 33-year-old female named Camille Benson, a Texas native who has already been arrested for the crime of “attempted mayhem.” The suspect is currently jailed and needs a bail of 100,000 dollars, which has been paid by the Biloxi Police Department. A ten-day span involved a case that was filed at a Walmart Supercenter as well as a Walmart Neighborhood Market store. The first case involved a patron at a Walmart Supercenter store on December 5th. The patron discovered a razor blade among the bread that he had bought. The other case involved a patron at a Walmart Neighborhood Market store on December 8th.
The situation quickly turned into an investigation on Dec. 14, as employees were going through the merchandise in reaction to another complainant, where they found even more loaves that had been altered. It is at this point that the motive has yet to be determined, although it does not appear that any local businesses have been marred by this event. Yet they urge that if one has looked at any type of bread product in the shops mentioned in the Biloxi area, they test it first for a pointy object.
Walmart had removed the items that could have been affected and analyzed them. The health and safety of our valued customers are always our top priority, said the spokesperson of the company regarding the issue. Customers who had purchased the products that were involved in the case were instructed by the company to destroy the products and return to the nearest stores to obtain a refund. Such incidents might initiate the onset of the psychosocial resonance of food safety risk, which might soon be widespread in the community.
Notwithstanding the fact that it has been made clear that, inasmuch as it is a planned and not accidental spillage, it has brought about a far more temporary shift in food-buying behavior, it would seem that this particular experience would still be subject to the psychosocial resonance. As stated, the practice of food poisoning is found to occur so few times within the country mentioned above, but one should be ever so carefully observant as a food consumer. Food consumers could do the following things after visiting the store if one wants to keep himself or herself protected. The first thing that the customer should do is read the package carefully. It should be closed and sealed and should not be damaged, as there would be a “sell-by” on package and top of package that should be pressed down before opening.
There should be no torn or opened packages, if the container looks like it has been thawed and then refrozen once again, or if the container of the food looks like the body of someone who is food poisoned. In the residential places, there is a need to check the products under the Check brand products before eating those goods. Discard products showing signs of damage and/or tampering appearance of irregular color and smell; open packaging; swelling; leakages with juice squirting out when opening package. Report incidents of tampering of products to manager of store and local police department.
In situations wherein the incidents are about meat and/or poultry products, then the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline should be contacted. In other situations, Food and Drug Administration should be gotten in touch with. Part of the concerns in maintaining a safe food is handling the foods. This involves proper hand-washing, separation of raw from ready-to-eat foods, cooking to safe internal temperatures to kill harmful bacteria, and prompt refrigeration. This would involve both the aspect of tampering as well as the possibility of illness due to food-related concerns.
The retail outlets cannot also be forgotten. The workers must be educated on how to spot instances where food is tampered with, and it should not happen; mechanisms must be put in place, as well as cleanliness, to make sure that the food is fresh and safe. It is important that the retail outlets inform employees on how to spot food tampering that may occur in packaging that is damaged, torn bags, as well as foreigners who may notice their vicinity where food is packed. This implies that as a community, it is important to make sure that there is a balance between creating awareness and not being afraid.
While it may seem that the fear motivator is implicated through the discovery of razor blades that are embedded in bread products, it is also important to realize that the immediacy that is shown by the law enforcement agency, as well as the retail outlets, is a clear indication that no one can go through a foolproof system; hence, remain vigilant as well as serious about safety; consequently, it is important that as consumers, they should form a considerable great force that is used to make homes and the community safe from the danger that is lurking.
