The Dangers Of Buying Deli Meats
30/08/2008 07:44
We all do it and
don’t give it a second thought. Until that is,
Listeriosis raises its ugly head and we all
react by throwing out certain brands of sliced
meats we have purchased.
But do you think about the process itself of buying from the Deli counter? Or are you so wrapped up in the “it’s better fresh sliced” syndrome, that you miss the most obvious health hazards?
And most of those hazards are happening right before your eyes folks. You’re just not paying attention.
The next time you order that 200 grams of thinly sliced roast turkey breast, stop and watch what actually happens during your purchase.
First note the nice person behind the counter slip on a pair of those latex gloves that are supposed to protect us from things like Listeriosis.
Now watch closely as they pick up the pair of tongs lying on the counter that have touched nearly every piece of meat sold that day. Did you notice they don’t sterilize the tongs? Mistake number one.
Then watch as they grab a portion of the pre sliced product and place it on a piece of wax paper on the scale. Whoops, some of the slices made contact with the scale surface as they got plopped onto the paper and overhung just a bit. Mistake number two.
Watch carefully as they note they have grabbed 250 grams and they now use the tongs to pick up a few slices to put back in the original pile in the cooler. Notice the ones that touched the bare surface of the scale got tossed back into the pile? Mistake number three.
Now watch as they grab a plastic bag and then with those gloved hands, scoop up the wax paper and the meat and insert it into the bag, wrap it up and place the price sticker on the bag. Did you notice the gloves touched the bare surface of the scale? Mistake number four.
But wait, don’t leave with your potentially tainted meat purchase just yet. Stick around for a minute and watch them wait on the next customer.
Did you notice if they wiped down the scale surface with a disinfectant? Did you notice if they changed to a fresh set of gloves before they handled that order of head cheese they just sold the guy behind you?
If you hung around for a few more customers, did you see that they wear that same set of gloves for far too long? And did you note how many things they touch that could be carrying germs of whatever kind with those gloves?
And also did you note of the number of times they stop to disinfect the scale, tongs or anything else they touch outside the cooler where things can “grow” at an alarming rate?
Don’t get me wrong
here folks. I’m sure those nice folks who work
in the Deli are trying to make your purchase a
safe one. Trouble is they are failing
miserably.
Still think that fresh Deli stuff is the best?
Let me know what you see on your next trip to a local Deli counter.
