Consumers Urge Thorough Inspection Of Meat Shops In Zamboanga

An angry housewife returns 5 kilos of pork and ground meat she bought at a meat shop in Zamboanga City after complaining that the meat is not fresh. (Zamboanga Journal)


ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 18 Jul) Food consumers in Zamboanga City have urged local authorities to thoroughly inspect meat and cold-cuts sold in groceries and supermarkets to ensure the products are always fresh.

A housewife complained that she was sold ground pork believed to be stale and rancid at the Tropical Meat Haus inside the Budget Wise supermarket Monday. She said that the 4 kilos of fresh pork chops she also bought were believed mixed with old stocks.

"The ground pork was really rancid and we've just noticed the foul smell at home. The pork chops were not all fresh; some of the meat had pale color and we suspect that they have mixed it with some old stocks and it's totally unfair for consumers like me," she said.

The grocers said they were only selling what was delivered to them. "We are just selling meats that are delivered to us. We don't know whether it was stale or rancid," said Michael, one of the store's sales people.

But the woman said it was not the first time she had complained about the meat shop. She said she also found a piece of wood from homemade sausage she bought from the store. "I also complained about it and they blamed the sausage maker for it. We just cannot blame everybody for everything. There must be a strict enforcement of quality control here," she said.

She said she returned the meat and the store refunded her the money.

The complaint also reached the local Department of Trade and Industry on Tuesday, but one of its officials claimed that he was also sold rancid meat by the same store. "I am not surprised about it. I was a victim too and also bought beef from Tropical and found that it had odor already, so I returned the meat and they refunded me my money," Chito Benitoy told the Zamboanga Journal.

Benitoy said the National Meat Inspection Commission and the Bureau of Food and Drugs should be informed about the complaint.

Silvestre Hipol, of the National Meat Inspection Commission, said he would coordinate with the local meat inspectors about the complaint. "We are going to coordinate this with the local authorities and inspect the meat shop," he said. "Meat shop owners must comply with existing standards and ensure that they always sell fresh products" he said in a separate interview.

The store owner was not immediately available for comment.

Meat is considered to be spoiled when it is unfit for human consumption. A variety of factors can cause meat to spoil including micro-organisms, exposure to air, and improper freezing techniques. Spoiled meat may be inedible due to unpleasant tastes and odors or may be unsafe for consumption especially when micro-organisms have caused the meat to spoil.

Although a number of factors may contribute to meat spoilage, the most common cause of meat spoilage is the deterioration of meat caused by bacteria, yeasts, and molds. Foods can contain dangerous bacteria and microorganisms but still have a normal appearance. Food which has not been handled or stored properly should not be eaten even if it has no apparent indications of spoilage.