Officials seize 1,600 kg stale goat meat from Rajasthan at Egmore railway station
As the train was moving, officials could seize only a portion of the meat; authorities in other districts alerted
1,600 kg of stale mutton seized by officials at Chennai egmore station (Photo credit: Justin George)
CHENNAI: On Tuesday, food safety officials seized 1,600 kg of stale meat from Jaipur at Egmore railway station. The official stated that there were no seals on the mutton, and the veterinary doctor’s certificate was not attached.
While speaking to the reporters, R Satheesh Kumar, designated food safety officer for Chennai, said, “At least 26 boxes of meat are seized here; since the train was moving, we could not take the remaining boxes. We have alerted the designated officers of each district to seize the remaining boxes on the train. Meat should be consumed within a day of slaughtering, but this 1,600 kg is almost five days old.”
The meat should be kept in a deep freezer at -18° Celsius, but the ice packaging from Jaipur was improper. The official mentioned that these meats were meant to be supplied to restaurants, and they have yet to get the list of eatery shops in the city.
“A goat should be sealed and have a veterinary doctor’s certificate when it is slaughtered. The meat transported from Jaipur did not have a seal or a certificate. We have given the meat for the testing. The results are expected in a few days. The Greater Chennai Corporation is informed to dispose of the stale meat properly,” said Satheesh.