Had a truck made its delivery in Pinellas Park, the meat might have been served.
By SHARON L. BOND
Published October 24, 2004
PINELLAS PARK - Nearly half a ton of meat being trucked to the Puerto Rican Patron Saint Festival last Sunday was seized by agriculture officials in Jacksonville and destroyed because it was rotting.
The festival drew 20,000 people celebrating Puerto Rican heritage and customs with salsa music, dancing and Caribbean food.
Terence McElroy, press secretary for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said the temperature in the interior of the truck carrying the 900 pounds of meat was between 70 and 74 degrees. He said the meat was probably the same temperature. To stay safe, meat must be kept at 41 degrees or lower.
"The items included precooked kabobs and sausages that were exposed. There were three trays with precooked meat patties that were unrefrigerated," McElroy said.
Several large cuts of meat that were unrefrigerated had flies on them, the report said.
McElroy said the meat could have been refrigerated before being put on the van or maybe not refrigerated at all. It was being shipped from a New Jersey distributor.
Dr. Marion Aller, director of the Division of Food Safety in the agriculture department, said allowing meat to be out of safe temperatures sets up a climate "ripe for any bacteria that may be there in a small amount to flourish and grow. It will grow very rapidly. The best course of action is just to destroy it."
Agriculture officials became suspicious when the truck driver would not answer questions about his cargo at a stop on Interstate 95 in Jacksonville on Oct. 16. They inspected and found the rotting meat, some of which was intended for a Puerto Rican festival in Orlando also. They buried it in a landfill.
No charges were made against the driver.
Could those 20,000 festivalgoers in Pinellas Park have gotten sick had the meat been delivered and they had eaten it the next day?
Dr. Aller would not say that directly. She did say there was a high risk for illness.
"Basically it makes a great culture medium for bacteria to grow. You don't want to turn around and serve that to someone. You don't want to take that risk."
