Supermarket Meat Goes Bad
May 22nd, 2007 by Jason
Living with a vegetarian, I usually only eat meat occasionally and that’s when I am out. (Although I was recently treated to some organic Pork, Garlic and Coriander sausages from Riverford Farm.)
We also try and source as much shopping as possible locally, rather than from supermarkets.
So, reading articles on the BBC and Guardian websites, reviewing the upcoming episode of Whistleblower, makes me feel totally justified. The news sites report the story of two reporters who worked undercover for 6 months at the meat counters in Tesco and Sainsbury supermarkets.
Quote from the Guardian article:
In a series of health and safety legislation breaches being broadcast in a programme for BBC1’s Whistleblower, counter staff at two branches of Sainsbury’s and Tesco falsify food temperature records and flout basic rules of food hygiene such as using different knives for fish, raw meat and cooked meat to prevent cross-contamination of bacteria.
Reading the articles, I find the surprisingly long list of alleged bad or illegal practices quite believable. Statements by both supermarket chains try and indicate that these are isolated incidents at individual supermarkets but the truth is, if there is money to be made then there are corners to be cut.
Large businesses such as Tesco and Sainsbury have so captured the market that they know whatever they do, shoppers will still go to them as they are the cheapest and most convenient way to get your shopping. Unfortunately, what this programme (and the articles) illustrate, is the price consumers pay for their cheap meat.
What we, as consumers, need to do is support local, small businesses, who maintain their reputation through quality of service and product. True, they may be harder to find, and a little more expensive, but what price your health, community, economy… environment!