Food Hygiene

keefg

Hi,

I prefer to buy meat from independent butchers because...

1) Better choice
2) Nicer meat
3) I like to support local businesses and not big corporate supermarkets so much

One thing that does bug me though is the seeming lack of food hygiene practiced in butchers shops, ie same person handling meat (with no gloves on) then handling notes & coins in the till.

Last week, I went to my usual butcher for some steak, he was serving a lady in front of me who bought some chicken. The transaction went like this......(all with no gloves remember)..

1) Guy picks up chicken breasts for lady in front of me & bags them up
2) Guy then takes money from lady & takes change from till & hands over to lady
3) He then picks up some fillet for me and cuts off a couple of steaks at the thickness I ask for and bags it up
4) Then same money transaction as lady in front

I asked him why he didn't wear gloves and about possible cross contamination especially after handling raw chicken & red meat. His reply? "I have been a butcher for over 20 years and never had a problem yet, if you don't like it you can go elsewhere".

Fair enough, so I have found another butcher as a result but he seems to use the same practice. Now, I am no expert but it seems the hygiene levels behind supermarket counters are much higher.

Am I just being too paranoid about getting sick or should the butchers take more care?

cheers.

Toto Wolfcastle

I go to two butchers, depending on whether I'm at home or away at college. The butcher at home uses different gloves every time he starts with a new customer, but I can't recall if they use the same gloves for chicken and red meat in the same transaction. (Although this wouldn't bother me as I would be cooking the food anyway so there shouldn't be a problem.)
The butcher I use when I'm at college does the same, different gloves for each customer. However, there is a separate place to pay where someone who does not handle meat takes your money. I think this is good as it also saves time because the butchers can just concentrate on serving people. I accept that this isn't possible in all butchers, but it seems like a good idea.

As for the butcher's response to your query? Well, you were right in going to a different place. He could have easily have explained his reasons in a polite manner.

Mr. Presentable

You're going to cook the meat, be it chicken or beef, so that's not really a problem. I'd be way more concerned with contamination of the money, and then your hands, and then your cigarette, banana or whatever.......

rockbeer

nipplenuts wrote: »

You're going to cook the meat, be it chicken or beef, so that's not really a problem.

QFT

Cross-contamination is where bacteria-carrying raw food comes into contact with cooked food. E.g. if you store your raw meat in your fridge on the top shelf and juice from the meat dripped down onto, say, cheese below, you would have a serious health risk.

Contamination of food which is yet to be cooked is not regarded as a critical hazard in food hygiene guidelines.

chuckles30

QUOTE "E.g. if you store your raw meat in your fridge on the top shelf and juice from the meat dripped down onto, say, cheese below, you would have a serious health risk."

That's why you're always told to store raw meat on the bottom shelf of your fridge.

I use two butcher shops and they never uses gloves and they also handle the money as well as the meat. I have been using the same butchers for the last number of years and so has my mother. The shops are spotless and the meat is far better than supermarket stuff and never had an issue.

Mr Magnolia

The butcher that I always use have the servery where you're give a reciept (no cash exchanges hands). The till is on the other side of the shop. It's a great arrangement. Not always practical though.

It's easy to grag the meat with the inside of the plastic bag so handling is kept at a minimum though. They should make more of an effort IMO.

keefg

Thanks for the replies guys. Seems like I am being a little bit paranoid.

I was just worried about the raw chicken aspect.

If you don't see me posting on boards over the next few weeks you'll know that I have.............(insert death rattle here)

Minder

rockbeer wrote: »

Contamination of food which is yet to be cooked is not regarded as a critical hazard in food hygiene guidelines.

Interesting - I know many who consider the handling of different raw meats without washing the hands as unhygenic. Rockbeer, do you have a source for that.