Is your corned beef safe?  Several Caribbean countries say that if it comes from Brazil, it’s not.   The governments of Jamaica and Barbados have instituted a temporary ban on the widely eaten canned food, while several others are discussing whether or not they should do the same.

But why such extreme measures, and should you be worried too? According to reports, several major Brazilian meat processing companies have been selling rotten beef and poultry. And that's where Grace Kennedy, one of the largest distributors of corned beef in the Caribbean, gets their beef from. Apparently, many of these companies paid bribes to auditors in exchange for fraudulent sanitary licenses. 

Since the bans were implemented, Grace has confirmed that their suppliers in Brazil have consistently qualified for licenses from the British Retail Consortium, which sets global manufacturing and quality standards. The government of Belize has yet to officially acknowledge the situation, or give any information on whether they are making an evaluation.