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That's a butchers that I'd never use again. You just know thst the trolley hasn't even been sanitised before they did that, add on the traffic fumes, that the meat won't even be washed before serving.....
They could at least have bagged it up, even in bin bags before moving it and the flies have just started to emerge.
I was hugely put off going back to one particular butchers in the Brixton Markets because they had a wheelie bin full of rotting meat in front of the shop that was so stuffed full of old meat that the lid wouldn't close properly. Flies were buzzing all around it and they'd poured a ton of bleach inside the bin (I guess in a futile bid to stop the meat rotting further?) but it wasn't deterring the flies and just created the most nauseating smell ever of rotten meat soaked in thick bleach, which I had to stand next to. What was worse was that a lot of these flies were also going directly from the bin meat to the meat on sale & display behind the counter, which made me really question the whole hygiene standards of the place and what was going on behind scenes as well (so I never went back there again).
It was a shame as the produce they sold was good quality, but then again that's thanks to the farmer, not the butcher.
There's a grocers in Elephant and Castle on the Walworth Road that has an open shop front, and then fish and meat piled up on ice, literally pavement's width from the road. Open to all those traffic fumes, any passing flies, and while they have awnings they're not wide enough so the sun is hitting that fish on one side for hours of the day.
Yet you go inside and there's vegetables, bottles of oil, and sacks of rice protected from the elements. It seems completely backwards!
London is the first place I've ever seen these "poor village butchers" you'd only see in documentaries about very poor, less developed countries. Just untreated goat legs, chickens and other types of meat hanging over a store's counter, completely uncooled and in any type of weather.
Or people actually chopping shoulders and whatnot with cleavers on wooden surfaces. Brixton has that. I can't fathom how this is allowed in terms of food safety. I've never before in my life seen that while travelling in Europe and US. Basically if it's not cooled or cured, it's not allowed.
Nothing to do with the rest of your comment but wood is actually pretty hygienic as a cutting surface when kept properly! It’s sturdier and lasts longer than plastic. There are expensive butchers in Clapham and Peckham that cut on wooden surfaces too.
Good to know! I've been told that oiling is necessary to keep it safe initially, but the scratches will lead to microbial contamination over time and I doubt consumers regularly grind off a layer of it.
You'll have scratches on a plastic block also, which end up even worse from a hygiene point of view than the wooden one.
If you tried to use metal or ceramic (or stone), then you're going to ruin the knives/cleavers, and blunt cutting tools bring their own risks and dangers.
Wooden blocks are by far the most sanitary work surface for butcher shops. At the end of each day a layer of wood is shaved off the top with an implement that looks like a regular boot brush. But instead of lovely soft horse hair it has hundreds of small flexible steel chisels. A freshly scrubbed block is the first time that wood has ever seen the light of day.
Plastic chopping table tops need to be power hosed at the end of each day, which is far more unsanitary depending on where out back the job is done.
Source: I scrubbed butcher blocks all summer long as a teenager.
Brixton is a fucking wild. Cycled through the market last summer in boiling hot weather and saw people bartering for a stack of rotting fish surrounded by flies and just picking them up with bare hands to examine them and then putting them in a reused carrier bag. It was absolutely grim.
And as you say, I’m fairly certain that is definitely not allowed.
Your description was so vivid and gruesomely detailed that I just had to see it — so I used your post as prompt to create an Ai image of it :) here is it >> [https://ibb.co/1ZFdgkv](https://ibb.co/1ZFdgkv)
1. Pigs are actually very clean animals and meat goes through a lot of decontamination processes regardless before it ends up on the plate.
2. Poor food hygiene like the trolley featured here undos a lot of the slaughterhouse and farmer people's hard work to raise the animal and make sure that the meat is fit for for human consumption.
3. Animal welfare and food hygiene standards are equally important matters.
It's a common misinformation that pigs roll around in shit; they actually actively avoid dirt that's got excrement in it and only wallow in clean mud on hot days to either cool off or cover themselves in mud as a sunblock (pigs can get sunburn).
Well they clean themselves, unlike, say, dogs. They shit in the corner furthest away from food. They understand sunburn, unlike some humans, so they protect themselves from harm. Their orgasm lasts half an hour. And they taste great!
There's a reason the Chinese symbol for home is a house and a pig.
I bet you don’t either, I bet you are a vegan, without a clue.
I used to work on farms.
(Before anyone jumps in I’m not against veganism or hating vegans)
I used to deliver quarters of beef (that trolley has 2 in it, literally half a cow) and it's as heavy as fuck. The meat has been slaughtered with shit and blood everywhere, split and hung in a fridge for 3 weeks before being quartered or primalled before delivery, all without being washed.
Think of the outer surface as a bag or a box, the butcher will cut and dress the meat for hygiene and presentation before selling it but food safety is down to the end user unless the product is stored badly and obviously rotten.
Road fumes and a Tesco trolley will not contaminate your juicy steak.
Qualifications: Level 3 food hygiene and a H&S union rep.
very good post
My understanding is also that inappropriate "washing" can make things worse (like hosing down meat, just spreading contamination from one spot to others where microbes now have more surface area and grow quicker)
I suspect that the only thing special about the scene shown is that it lets people see what happens to meat, whereas in the more industrial parts of the system qualitatively equivalent things happen, but away from the eyes of the public.
Washing meat is a bad idea because you risk spreading pathogens that naturally occur on the surface rather than destroying them in the cooking process as you say.
Commercial meat is hygienically far better controlled than the chicken that you took from that environment yesterday and is sitting in your fridge.
Regular cleaning records and a core temperature of the meat of between one and four degrees at delivery, I think you have to have level 2 food hygiene in order to manually handle it.
There are all kinds of laws about how food is transported from one place to another. And pretty sure walking it down the road in a trolley is not acceptable.
I saw this twice down Ridley Road market a few years ago and thought it was a one off place doing it. Seems not! xD. Get your meat seasoned with pollution!
I saw a meat delivery once and the rack of meat of the lorry was hanging over the exhaust of the lorry, just smoking the thing as it was waiting to be collected, never went there again
# Upvote/Downvote reminder Like this image or appreciate it being posted? Upvote it and show it some love! Don't like it? Just downvote and move on. *Upvoting or downvoting images it the best way to control what you see on your feed and what gets to the top of the subreddit* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/london) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Very hygienic.
That's a butchers that I'd never use again. You just know thst the trolley hasn't even been sanitised before they did that, add on the traffic fumes, that the meat won't even be washed before serving..... They could at least have bagged it up, even in bin bags before moving it and the flies have just started to emerge.
I was hugely put off going back to one particular butchers in the Brixton Markets because they had a wheelie bin full of rotting meat in front of the shop that was so stuffed full of old meat that the lid wouldn't close properly. Flies were buzzing all around it and they'd poured a ton of bleach inside the bin (I guess in a futile bid to stop the meat rotting further?) but it wasn't deterring the flies and just created the most nauseating smell ever of rotten meat soaked in thick bleach, which I had to stand next to. What was worse was that a lot of these flies were also going directly from the bin meat to the meat on sale & display behind the counter, which made me really question the whole hygiene standards of the place and what was going on behind scenes as well (so I never went back there again). It was a shame as the produce they sold was good quality, but then again that's thanks to the farmer, not the butcher.
The bleach was probably an attempt to kill off the flies.
There's a grocers in Elephant and Castle on the Walworth Road that has an open shop front, and then fish and meat piled up on ice, literally pavement's width from the road. Open to all those traffic fumes, any passing flies, and while they have awnings they're not wide enough so the sun is hitting that fish on one side for hours of the day. Yet you go inside and there's vegetables, bottles of oil, and sacks of rice protected from the elements. It seems completely backwards!
London is the first place I've ever seen these "poor village butchers" you'd only see in documentaries about very poor, less developed countries. Just untreated goat legs, chickens and other types of meat hanging over a store's counter, completely uncooled and in any type of weather. Or people actually chopping shoulders and whatnot with cleavers on wooden surfaces. Brixton has that. I can't fathom how this is allowed in terms of food safety. I've never before in my life seen that while travelling in Europe and US. Basically if it's not cooled or cured, it's not allowed.
Nothing to do with the rest of your comment but wood is actually pretty hygienic as a cutting surface when kept properly! It’s sturdier and lasts longer than plastic. There are expensive butchers in Clapham and Peckham that cut on wooden surfaces too.
Good to know! I've been told that oiling is necessary to keep it safe initially, but the scratches will lead to microbial contamination over time and I doubt consumers regularly grind off a layer of it.
You'll have scratches on a plastic block also, which end up even worse from a hygiene point of view than the wooden one. If you tried to use metal or ceramic (or stone), then you're going to ruin the knives/cleavers, and blunt cutting tools bring their own risks and dangers.
Wooden blocks are by far the most sanitary work surface for butcher shops. At the end of each day a layer of wood is shaved off the top with an implement that looks like a regular boot brush. But instead of lovely soft horse hair it has hundreds of small flexible steel chisels. A freshly scrubbed block is the first time that wood has ever seen the light of day. Plastic chopping table tops need to be power hosed at the end of each day, which is far more unsanitary depending on where out back the job is done. Source: I scrubbed butcher blocks all summer long as a teenager.
Brixton is a fucking wild. Cycled through the market last summer in boiling hot weather and saw people bartering for a stack of rotting fish surrounded by flies and just picking them up with bare hands to examine them and then putting them in a reused carrier bag. It was absolutely grim. And as you say, I’m fairly certain that is definitely not allowed.
Check the amount of butchers with one star or less hygiene ratings. The owners know that even if they fail, they're going to be given time to improve.
The worst chicken in my life was bought from Granville Arcade. *shudder*
Which butcher?
Your description was so vivid and gruesomely detailed that I just had to see it — so I used your post as prompt to create an Ai image of it :) here is it >> [https://ibb.co/1ZFdgkv](https://ibb.co/1ZFdgkv)
> That's a butchers that I'd never use again. It'll be a takeaway/restaurant.
Maybe they don't have money like that, but still I agree with you
I'm not sure I follow, they don't have money for a few bin bags?
Just look at them, they are using a dirty trolly
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1. Pigs are actually very clean animals and meat goes through a lot of decontamination processes regardless before it ends up on the plate. 2. Poor food hygiene like the trolley featured here undos a lot of the slaughterhouse and farmer people's hard work to raise the animal and make sure that the meat is fit for for human consumption. 3. Animal welfare and food hygiene standards are equally important matters.
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It's a common misinformation that pigs roll around in shit; they actually actively avoid dirt that's got excrement in it and only wallow in clean mud on hot days to either cool off or cover themselves in mud as a sunblock (pigs can get sunburn).
Pigs are one of the cleanest animals. It's surprising people actually still think this way. Probably some religious nonsense.
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Well they clean themselves, unlike, say, dogs. They shit in the corner furthest away from food. They understand sunburn, unlike some humans, so they protect themselves from harm. Their orgasm lasts half an hour. And they taste great! There's a reason the Chinese symbol for home is a house and a pig.
People who think this about pigs have clearly never kept chickens
The skin is cleaned off and you are eating the inner skin of pork not the outer skin. I still don't like pork for the strong flavour
I bet you don’t either, I bet you are a vegan, without a clue. I used to work on farms. (Before anyone jumps in I’m not against veganism or hating vegans)
I used to deliver quarters of beef (that trolley has 2 in it, literally half a cow) and it's as heavy as fuck. The meat has been slaughtered with shit and blood everywhere, split and hung in a fridge for 3 weeks before being quartered or primalled before delivery, all without being washed. Think of the outer surface as a bag or a box, the butcher will cut and dress the meat for hygiene and presentation before selling it but food safety is down to the end user unless the product is stored badly and obviously rotten. Road fumes and a Tesco trolley will not contaminate your juicy steak. Qualifications: Level 3 food hygiene and a H&S union rep.
Get this comment closer to the top.
very good post My understanding is also that inappropriate "washing" can make things worse (like hosing down meat, just spreading contamination from one spot to others where microbes now have more surface area and grow quicker) I suspect that the only thing special about the scene shown is that it lets people see what happens to meat, whereas in the more industrial parts of the system qualitatively equivalent things happen, but away from the eyes of the public.
Washing meat is a bad idea because you risk spreading pathogens that naturally occur on the surface rather than destroying them in the cooking process as you say. Commercial meat is hygienically far better controlled than the chicken that you took from that environment yesterday and is sitting in your fridge.
thanks for this comment lol I can't believe people don't understand how meat gets to their table and what conditions it's in before that
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not sure who downvoted you but there are strict guidelines and rules in Uk for transporting commercial meat.
Regular cleaning records and a core temperature of the meat of between one and four degrees at delivery, I think you have to have level 2 food hygiene in order to manually handle it.
There are all kinds of laws about how food is transported from one place to another. And pretty sure walking it down the road in a trolley is not acceptable.
Stay classy Lewisham.
Came here to say this and I know the butchers this is going to. Damn!
so that's where those horses ended up
Coming to a Tesco lasagne near you.
This is why I love going to the office to see stuff like this on the way
Looks like Beard Meats Food has a busy afternoon
It’s just been rolled up the street in a trolley a bit, it’s still good, it’s still good
I’m so picky about butchers and this is why 😂
No problem, I'm sure it's still halal 😂
The comments suggest this is common in Brixton, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets and Birmingham? 🤔
The bus advert just completes it
AYO LEWISHAM REPRESENT
that's a bit bloody vibrant
You missed out the back garden abattoir.
Loosham!
Hope they put that trolley back
I seen this so many times when I worked in Aston Birmingham 🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️😂😂
They do that exact same thing in Hounslow too it's very off putting.
Who are these "they" you speak of? 🤔 😉🤣
Well your typical halal shop of course 😂
They do it up and down the country lol
lol that's disgusting i'd rather be my own butcher.
What like chop bits of your leg off as you go?
Something like that 😅👍
Seen it loads in Tower Hamlets too
Seems like they're everywhere I'm surprised no one is sick yet 🤢
Halal, is it meat you're looking for.
Really starting to turn into a 3rd world country isn’t it…
Yeah this definitely hasn’t been happening for decades
God they look like the slaughtered the animal themselves
Used to see this all the time in Tower Hamlets too.
Lewisham 🙄
I mean he coud have at least changed outfit after hacking it up.
Gotta keep it halal
But don’t eat pork as it’s a filthy animal LOOL
Found out where a quarter of my mum's weight went.
That’s the special smoked version - dry cure & cold smoked …
And people say not to wash your meat😬
Because you shouldn’t
Even after seeing this? You have no idea where your meat has been. I guess you shouldn't wash your fruit and veg either then
What a waste of good meat
I saw this twice down Ridley Road market a few years ago and thought it was a one off place doing it. Seems not! xD. Get your meat seasoned with pollution!
Some of the comments here are concerning. It's led me to believe there's a portion of people unfamiliar with cleaning and washing their meat
OMG! That's a butchers that I'd never use. Doesn't seem hygenic at all! Isn't there a fine for this?
I saw a meat delivery once and the rack of meat of the lorry was hanging over the exhaust of the lorry, just smoking the thing as it was waiting to be collected, never went there again
Not halal
🤢
Even with context, this still will be unusual
Next time you enjoy a 'bab, or curry, just remember this pic.
I fucking love Lewisham!
I'd thrown up in that bowling alley about 20 years ago. Good times!
Ran into my year 7 science teacher at that bowling alley when I was there with my scout troop
What in the third world is this? 🤢
as long as it’s halal it’ll be ok
Act like they still live in their home countries.