After the horse meat scandal in Europe and the USA, iol news reported yesterday that South Africa has its own meat scandal to deal with. Local researchers have found fraudulent meat products across the country. The study found that anything from soya, goat and water buffalo were found in up to 68% of the minced meats, burger patties, sausages and dried meats that were tested.
Our study confirms that the mislabelling of processed meats is commonplace in South Africa and not only violates food labelling regulations but also poses economic, religious, ethical and health impacts. – Professor Louw Hoffman of the Department of Animal Sciences.
What I found interesting as well was the response in the comment section. Several people were calling out for the researchers to name and shame the institution that were mixing their meats and mislabelling their products. While others were saying that we should rather buy our meats from a local butchery instead of larger chain-stores. You can see the carcass hanging with the inspection stamps on and the meat gets processed right in front of the client; at larger franchises everything happens behind closed doors.
What’s your take on the story?
[Image by Tuscanyscous]
