KMC notice on packaged meat sale in markets sparks confusion

KOLKATA: Confusion prevailed among proprietors of several shops that sell packaged chicken and other meat products inside the markets managed by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Thursday. They struggled to figure out the rationale behind banning such products inside the civic markets when outlets of the same brands continued to sell the same products a few hundred metres away.



KMC’s market department on Wednesday had banned sale of packaged meat in 25-odd markets managed by the civic body, but some officials in the health department said that brands which have fitness certification from proper agencies, like Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, cannot be prevented from selling packaged products unless tests proved they were unfit for consumption. The decision came after cops stumbled upon a racket involving carcass meat being mixed with fresh meat and sold in the market through different channels.

“The civic laws do not allow a blanket ban on packaged chicken. Products of reputable brands have certification from proper agencies. Unless tests by KMC reveal that they are unfit for consumption, we cannot ban them,” said a senior health department official.

Several branded chains of meat shops which have branches in some of the KMC-managed markets wondered if the order would affect them.

Owners of MC Poddar, who have been selling meat products in New Market for over five decades, were in a fix. “We sell products of all reputable brands. The civic body can ban our products only if they find it unfit for consumption,” one of them said.

Meat stored in freezers and ice-boxes, however, continued to be sold in several shops on Thursday, raising questions over the efficacy of the blanket ban. Many officials from within the civic department, too, questioned the decision of banning meat at a handful of outlets instead of cracking down on the source and the supply chain.

On Thursday evening, TOI visited six KMC-managed markets where several mutton and chicken shops continued to store meat in small freezers or iceboxes. “At times, we have to keep the meat in the freezer in the morning to sell in the evening. That meat is fresh. The civic body cannot stop us from selling that meat as many buy in bulk and keep it frozen for three to four days,” said Mohammad Ikhlaque who owns a meat shop in Park Circus Market.

A civic department official said it made no sense banning packaged meat at a handful of markets instead of going after the source of carcass meat. On Tuesday, CM Mamata Banerjee formed a committee, with chief secretary Malay De as the head, to develop a mechanism to crackdown on the source of the racket.