Got bad cheese? Read on my friend

BY SKY HORNIG

Cassie Keeley went to her neighborhood grocer in South Minneapolis to buy her usual pepperjack cheese. She sat down for cheese and crackers later that afternoon. “When I swallowed, it felt like acid burning down my throat,” she said.
Concerned for her health and for others who might have purchased the same bad batch of cheese, Keeley contacted the manufacturer, which, in turn, referred her to the packaging company. The packaging company asked her to mail them the cheese in an “insulated package” for testing.

Keeley, unsure of the definition for “insulated package,” returned to her grocer with the cheese and the forwarding information. The grocer assured her that he would send the cheese, in the appropriate packaging, to the appropriate person and place.

The manager evaded Keeley’s numerous follow-ups. It became evident the cheese had mysteriously disappeared. The manager, Keeley says, “was [concerned] only about protecting himself. Didn’t care at all about me.”
Now Keeley is left with burns on the roof of her mouth and no one to take responsibility. She hopes that others can learn from her story. If the managers of our local stores are only looking out for themselves, who is looking out for us? The Minneapolis Environmental Health Department for one.

If you discover a food product is bad, says Tim Jenkins of the Minneapolis Environmental Health Food and Safety Program, keep it cool (below 41 degrees Fahrenheit) and segregated from other foods to prevent contamination. Next, contact the Minneapolis Division of Environmental Health (separate from the Public Health Department) at 612-673-2170. At this point, you can arrange to bring your sample to the Minneapolis Public Health Laboratory or to have your food sample picked up.

The complaint is entered into the system and an investigation ensues. Depending on the results of the investigation, the Environmental Health Department will work with the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and/or the Hennepin County Department of Epidemiology and take the appropriate action to best protect public health.
Keeley hopes her story raises awareness about the procedure delineated above because “once the evidence is gone, that’s it. I want to be certain [what happened to me] doesn’t happen again.”