Ensure meat hygiene, says Collector

Three retired veterinary doctors to be deputed in Thoothukudi slaughterhouse

THOOTHUKUDI

To streamline the functioning of the slaughterhouse here and ensure meat hygiene, veterinarians would be deputed, Collector M. Ravikumar told reporters here on Monday.

Three retired veterinary doctors would be deputed in the slaughterhouse in May. Based on complaints from consumers, officials of Food Safety Department conducted raids on meat stalls last week. A total of 800 kg of meat was seized from various parts of the city and destroyed after it was found unfit for consumption on Saturday.

On Sunday, the officials seized and destroyed 150 kg of ‘unfit-for-consumption’ meat. Several meat stalls were not in possession of licence, which was mandatory under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA).

Meat could be stored in refrigerators only for two hours after the slaughtering of animals, but often unsold meat was kept in cold storage for days together and such meat would not be fit for consumption, he said.

The Collector said the Food Safety officials had been instructed to raids meat stalls every week, and if they found meat unfit for consumption, they would seize and destroy it, he said.