Health inspectors take it too far?

With the recent heat-wave scorching the US, it’s understandable that a cold refreshing drink would easily be on the minds of many. It seemed that 7-year-old Julie Murphy was thinking the same thing but from an entrepreneurial perspective as she decided to set up a lemonade stand at the Last Thursday monthly art fair in Northeast Portland, Oregon.

However, according to this article, poor Julie had her stand shut down by patrolling health inspectors because she didn’t have right health and safety permit. If ever there was proof that the world has changed, then this is it.

We’ve become paranoid about everything…even the impossibly remote chance that a little girl’s lemonade stand might cause an outbreak of some tropical disease.

A few excerpts from the article can be found below:

"I understand the reason behind what they're doing and it's a neighborhood event, and they're trying to generate revenue," said Jon Kawaguchi, environmental health supervisor for the Multnomah County Health Department. "But we still need to put the public's health first."

“Technically, any lemonade stand - even one on your front lawn - must be licensed under state law, said Eric Pippert, the food-borne illness prevention program manager for the state's public health division. But county inspectors are unlikely to go after kids selling lemonade on their front lawn unless, he conceded, their front lawn happens to be on Alberta Street during Last Thursday.”

The article even mentions that Julie was vigilant when she made her lemonade. She used hand sanitizer to clean her hands, she used a scoop when serving the ice, and even made sure that everything not in use was covered.

I’m actually quite annoyed about this because it reminds me of a similar article I wrote on this blog titled Are We Becoming Too Clean for Our Own Good

People are trying to create a perfect living environment that’s free from all germs without realizing that a germs and bugs here and there can actually be good for us as they help strengthen our immune systems.

For everyone at the art fair who didn’t get a chance to cool down with the help of Julie’s lemonade, I’m sure the actions of the health inspectors made them a little hotter under the collar!

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