Cyprus destroys 4,5 tonnes of Carrefour meat

 

Cyprus authorities have destroyed some 4,5 tonnes of beef, pork and lamb which they deemed as “unsuitable for consumption” after seizing the meat from the stores of Chris Cash and Carry/Carrefour Group.

Agriculture Minister Photis Photiou said the meat, originating from Germany, France and the U.K., was seized on October 10 to 14 and subsequently destroyed.

Most of the meat was seized in all the coastal towns where the supermarket chain has stores, with the exception of a “minimal quantity” seized from an unnamed store in Nicosia.

Photiou said that all meat imports have a shelf or store life of about 10 to 20 days, but with the passing of time they start to change colouring and exert unusual smells.

He said that most vulnerable to such changes are the quantities of meat arriving from overseas, as in order to reach the Cyprus supermarkets they need a further week from the time of slaughter to shipment.

The Minister said the inspection by the Health Services took place at the storage facilities of the said supermarket chain.

He added that consumers should also be aware and should carefully inspect the meat before they buy it and to look out for the colouring and smell.