A hidden-camera investigation by Radio Canada showing grocery store butchers altering the “best before” dates on packages of meat and poultry has prompted Quebec’s Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis to order a probe of meat packing regulations.
Although no health problems have been reported, the problem has become widespread. A butcher at one store told the network that meats are repackaged every morning before the store opens.
For food safety reasons, meat and poultry need to be eaten within two to three days of being packaged. Changing the “best before” date could cause serious health problems for consumers.
“We will take the necessary steps,” Paradis told the Montreal Gazette. “Our producers are producing quality meats. The consumer has the right to eat quality produce.”
News of the repackaging scandal broke just as the University of Guelph’s Food Institute rated Canada’s food safety system the best in the world.
