Maggots feasting in the dark
As load shedding continues consumers are worried about the health risks when buying and consuming meat.
ABOUT to tuck into a chicken meal bought at a Spaza shop in Alton, a Richards Bay worker made a horrifying discovery – the ‘succulent’ bird was infested with maggots.
According to a mineral technology company employee Hettie Neethling, one of her colleagues detected a suspicious smell emanating from the chicken and upon closer inspection, maggots were discovered festering underneath the skin.
A health inspector was immediately contacted and an inspection will be conducted at the spaza shop premises.
And with no light at the end of tunnel as far as load shedding is concerned, Zululanders are becoming more anxious about the shelf life of meat products in stores.
With load shedding lasting up to four hours, meat products in fridges and freezers defrost and can go off, creating potential health risks for consumers.
According to the General Manager of Ranch Biltong, Butchery in Empangeni and Richards Bay, Tania Holgate, such incidents are preventable with good planning and management.
Procedures
‘Being aware of the load shedding schedule and its effects requires certain procedures to be put in place to prevent frozen produce from going bad, and if they do, prevent such produce from reaching the consumer,’ Holgate said.
‘In all our butcheries staff relocate frozen meat to the coldest chiller to maintain a constant temperature when the electricity is cut. Thermometers are in place and temperature checks are done regularly.
‘We also have blankets covering the fridges and freezers which trap in the cold. These are very effective for our island freezer that do not have lids on them. Our deep freezers also have covers and the doors are only opened when required.’
Holgate said they nevertheless lose between 25 and 35% of their stock owing to load shedding.
Certain meats cannot be refrozen and sold once it has reached a certain temperature.
In this instance the Health Department is called and they inspect the expired stock.
‘Measures are in place to dispose of it. A special certificate needs to be obtained from the municipality which confirms that the spoilt meat was disposed of correctly without it becoming a health hazard.’
