Beirut Municipality’s Public Relations Department said in a statement that the municipality’s Slaughterhouse Department, under the directives of Beirut Governor Judge Marwan Abboud, continues to conduct field inspections of butcher shops across the capital, with the support of the Beirut Guard Regiment, to ensure compliance with approved health standards, guarantee the safety and quality of meat, and protect consumers’ health.
The inspections covered Hamra, Aisha Bakkar, Zokak El Blatt, Tariq al-Jdideh and Barbir, where specialized teams inspected a number of butcher shops to verify the safety of the meat and the methods used to preserve, refrigerate, store and display it, as well as its expiry dates and compliance with general hygiene and food safety requirements.
The inspections uncovered health violations related to non-compliance with meat preservation and refrigeration standards and general hygiene requirements. The teams also identified practices posing health risks, most notably thawing frozen meat in ways that do not comply with health standards and then displaying and selling it as fresh meat at fresh-meat prices, misleading consumers and violating food-handling regulations.
The inspections also revealed practices involving the mixing of leftover meat with meat unfit for human consumption and using it to prepare processed meat products, including kofta, sausage, hot dogs, burgers and minced meat, in a clear violation of food safety requirements and with potential risks of contamination and food poisoning. The products were destroyed to prevent them from being sold to consumers.
As a result of the inspections, the violators were suspended from work, and the Beirut Municipality’s Slaughterhouse Department issued violation reports against the owners of the non-compliant butcher shops, paving the way for their referral to the competent Court of First Instance judge handling municipal violations to take the necessary legal measures in accordance with applicable procedures.
The Beirut governor stressed that the municipality’s specialized health teams will continue their inspection and monitoring campaigns across all areas of the capital and pursue violations that threaten food safety, with legal action taken against those responsible to protect consumers and safeguard public health in Beirut.
The inspections covered Hamra, Aisha Bakkar, Zokak El Blatt, Tariq al-Jdideh and Barbir, where specialized teams inspected a number of butcher shops to verify the safety of the meat and the methods used to preserve, refrigerate, store and display it, as well as its expiry dates and compliance with general hygiene and food safety requirements.
The inspections uncovered health violations related to non-compliance with meat preservation and refrigeration standards and general hygiene requirements. The teams also identified practices posing health risks, most notably thawing frozen meat in ways that do not comply with health standards and then displaying and selling it as fresh meat at fresh-meat prices, misleading consumers and violating food-handling regulations.
The inspections also revealed practices involving the mixing of leftover meat with meat unfit for human consumption and using it to prepare processed meat products, including kofta, sausage, hot dogs, burgers and minced meat, in a clear violation of food safety requirements and with potential risks of contamination and food poisoning. The products were destroyed to prevent them from being sold to consumers.
As a result of the inspections, the violators were suspended from work, and the Beirut Municipality’s Slaughterhouse Department issued violation reports against the owners of the non-compliant butcher shops, paving the way for their referral to the competent Court of First Instance judge handling municipal violations to take the necessary legal measures in accordance with applicable procedures.
The Beirut governor stressed that the municipality’s specialized health teams will continue their inspection and monitoring campaigns across all areas of the capital and pursue violations that threaten food safety, with legal action taken against those responsible to protect consumers and safeguard public health in Beirut.
