Winnipeg delivery of pig carcasses sparks provincial investigation
Manitoba health authorities are investigating after photos of pig carcasses which appear to have been improperly handled during deliveries to two Winnipeg businesses surfaced on social media.
"The first thing that popped out from the pictures in my mind was that the meat, the quarter and half sections of pork, had been thrown on the floor of the truck," said Rick Holley, a University of Manitoba food safety expert. "You can see there are some non-meat items which are also on the floor of the truck."
The photos were posted to a public Facebook page and obtained by CBC news. They show two trucks delivering half and quarter pork carcasses to businesses at 303 King Street in Chinatown.
The owner of a butcher shop in the building declined an interview, but told CBC News he recognized the long-haired employee in the photos and said he works for one of their suppliers, a Portage la Prairie abattoir.
The other truck in the photos has a decal on the side panel stating Country Meat and Sausage of Blumenort, Manitoba.
An employee at Country Meats confirmed that one of the trucks is theirs. She didn't want her name used, but said the truck is refrigerated and the floor is lined with "food-grade paper." She said the employee was wearing a smock and gloves, but admitted there didn't appear to be a hair net.
She said all employees are trained, but they are in the process of developing a new food safety protocol. The owner is waiting to speak with their food safety consultant and said he plans to comment after he's had time to review the incident.
Sun Wah Supermarket, an Asian grocery store housed in the building, told CBC News neither delivery was for them.
Photos show employees of both processors slinging pig carcasses over their shoulders and carrying them into the building.
Holley said carrying carcasses in that manner may be an accepted practice within the meat plant, but it isn't acceptable outdoors, and he noted neither employee was wearing hair protection.
"One individual's hair was quite long and I could imagine there would be some significant amount of contact between the hair and the meat carcass," said Holley. "It would be, I think, relatively easy and certainly totally acceptable to offload that meat into one or more bins on wheels and then wheel them into the processing plant."
The province's Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors Food Protection Branch confirmed they've received the images, but declined an interview.
"The images were shared with our food inspector and they are looking into this situation," an email from a department spokesperson said. "Until we investigate, however, it would not be appropriate for us to comment on this case until we have all the details."
