Alberta Health Services has ordered the closure of a long-standing Bashaw business. And now the owners of Bashaw Meats and Sausage say the future of their processing and retail shop is very much in doubt.
Darren Pearson, who has operated Bashaw Meats with his wife, Carrie, since they bought the business in 2003, said the provincial health authority directed on Monday that they cease operations. They are now only able to complete contract custom work that was already underway.
“I’ve got probably $10,000, $15,000 worth of inventory sitting in my freezer and cooler,” said Pearson, explaining that the order came with almost no notice.
An Alberta Health Services inspector visited the shop on Thursday, said Pearson, and then returned with his supervisor on Monday.
“He said, ‘We’re going to shut you down. We’re going to go get the paperwork and when we get back we’ll post it and then you’re done.’”
Previous inspections had found only minor infractions, said Pearson, and these were corrected.
“As far as we know, there were no complaints filed.”
Kevin McLeod, an environmental public health supervisor with Alberta Heath Services, said he attended at Bashaw Meats with an inspector on Monday. They found a number of serious infractions, said McLeod.
“What we look for are critical violations, and violations we feel could put the public at imminent risk of a health hazard.
“In this case, we felt it was very necessary for us to close the premises.”
The closure order cites “a lack of general sanitation and cleanliness.” Specifics include improper handling of food, inadequate facilities for hand- and equipment-washing, unsanitary equipment, a lack of written cleaning procedures and evidence that food handlers were not washing their hands properly, among others.
While some of the problems identified could be easily remedied, others would require significant effort and even structural work, said McLeod.
Pearson said one problem is the fact Bashaw Meats operates out of a building that’s nearly 100 years old.
“It’d probably cost me at least $100,000 to fix it up,” he said, adding that he and Carrie had been trying to buy another building.
Now, he’s reluctant to pursue that option.
“At my age, I don’t think I want to go into $300,000 or $400,000 of personal debt again,” said the 48-year-old.
Robert Berry, a Bashaw resident and friend of the Pearsons, said the loss of Bashaw Meats would be a blow to the community.
“I think it would be devastating,” he said, describing how the shop attracted many out-of-town consumers and helped keep local shoppers at home.
“If I have to drive to Camrose or Red Deer or wherever to get meat, chances are I’m probably going to buy the rest of my groceries while I’m there,” he said. “It’s just going to suck this town dry.”
Berry added that the Pearsons and their business have been tremendous supporters of Bashaw. They’ve donated to a number of charities, including the local food bank and school breakfast program.
He noted that somebody has placed a poster on the front of Bashaw Meats, with residents writing messages of support there.
McLeod said he understands why the Bashaw residents would be upset by the closure of the shop. But he said he and his inspector had no choice.
“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.”
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com