Cinniapolis healthcare facilities reported a record high number of foodborne illnesses over the past 6 months. Food poisoning diagnoses from October 2023 through January 2024 have outpaced food poisoning diagnoses from the past 4 years combined. As a reminder, these are just the reported cases. It’s safe to assume there are others that have gone unnoticed or unreported.

The vast majority of these illnesses have stemmed from consumers seeking out meats in the rapidly growing underground meat market. It’s become an open secret where to purchase illegal meat within or on the very near outskirts of Cinniapolis. Illegal meat dealers are not subject to the same regulations nor standards of the bygone Cinniapolis meat suppliers. The Chorus successfully procured black market meats. What we found was an amalgam of mis-labeled and tainted meats.

The Chorus interviewed one of the illegal meat dealers, who requested to be identified as Beif Erikson. On the topic of selling products that is making others ill, “Buyer beware, that’s what I’m telling my customers. Us folks obtaining meats for those still eating it, we don’t have the means or the capital to test things or discard old meat,” said Mr. Erikson. ”It’s not part of our business model. We trust our sources and do our best to keep meat present in Cinniapolis.” When pressed on why this is a chosen avenue of income, “It was an easy decision for me. I have a consistent supplier and a consistent customer-base. People pay through the roof for a cut of beef. I mean it’s nearly as lucrative as printing my own money,” he said. ”Here’s the thing, I’m not intentionally trying to make people sick. That’s bad for business. But, this is the risk when purchasing meats in the black market, or any product in the black market,” said Mr. Erikson. Lastly, we inquired if dealers are worried about upset customers confronting them, “Not at all. There have been some that stepped up their machismo, and they were quickly stepped on, if you catch my drift.”

This has been an unintended consequence of banning meat in the name of climate change. People are risking illness and enriching illegal suppliers. A new criminal class has been created. An overwhelmed healthcare community is still reeling from the long hours, days, weeks, and years from the pandemic treatments. Now, they’ve transitioned into a food poisoning epidemic. The meat prohibition was a short-sighted policy at best. Mayor Gondola’s administration’s failure to counteract these unintended consequences are proving to be more dangerous than climate change.