Over 1,500 kg stale meat seized from train at Chennai Central railway station

CHENNAI: Officials of the Food Safety Department seized 1,566 kg of stale meat from a train from New Delhi at the Central railway station on Monday. The official stated that the seal on the mutton and a certificate from the veterinarian were missing.

The department has requested the railway authorities to ensure the sender and receivers details are available before transporting.

“The perishable commodity arrived here on Saturday through the Tamil Nadu Express train from New Delhi. Since no one claimed it, the railway authorities informed the department. The stale meat and mushroom were found with worms and emanated a foul odour. It will be disposed of at the Kodungaiyur dumpyard,” said R Satheesh Kumar, designated food safety officer, Chennai.

When a goat is slaughtered, it should be sealed and have a veterinarian’s certificate, which was missing from the meat from New Delhi. Additionally, the meat should be kept in a deep freezer at -18-degree Celsius, and properly packed with ice while transporting.

“These items are supplied to roadside eateries and hotels. As per norms, the food items should have details of the sender and receiver but we didn’t find any. We’ve requested railway officials to transport perishable commodities only if it has the details,” added Satheesh.

Since perishable commodities are transported from across the country to supply to roadside eateries and hotels, the department has planned to create awareness among them. “We conducted an awareness programme for roadside vendors recently at the Amma Maligai in Ripon Building. We will also hold classes for vendors who sell non-vegetarian items and chaat items,” he added.