I sent my kid to school with a homemade sandwich yesterday... and I feel kind of guilty about it.
Every day Ashley and I look at the school lunch menu posted on our fridge. And yesterday the choices were a taco or a hot ham and cheese sandwich. Ashley does not enjoy the hot ham and cheese. And the thought of her eating the taco, or anything with ground beef these days, worries me.
The reason? The latest beef recall.
Actually... let me rephrase that: The largest beef recall in the history of the United States.
143 million pounds of meat that officials worry could pose a high risk of contamination for Mad Cow Disease, E. coli or salmonella. And 37 million pounds of that recalled beef was sent to 150 school districts across the country, including Milwakee Public Schools and the Franklin School district.
That's a little too close for comfort. I think any good parent would worry.
But here's the thing: I trust the school officials in my daughter's district. I don't believe they would use anything that would endanger any of their young charges. None of the recalled beef was found in my daughter's school district. And so far, no illnesses have been linked to the beef recalled from other areas, even as officials said they believe the majority of it already has been consumed.
But here's the thing: Mad Cow Disease does not show up in a person's system for years. And Mad Cow, is a fatal disease. That scares me.
Even though I know there is probably nothing to worry about here. And I really shouldn't worry. Truth be told, we'll probably been eating burgers again my next week. My family loves our ground beef.
But paranoia is part of being a parent. So when I saw tacos on the school menu the other day, I packed Ashley a sandwich. And now I feel kind of silly about it.
But at the time, I just felt like I was protecting my child.
