FOOD SAFETY ALERT: FOOD HANDLING AND MARKETING.

 

A concerned citizen sent me this picture, he was wondering why these butchers were washing goats in this dirty water.

A more intense look at the picture will show various activities going on here: 1) slaughtering is going on beside the 2 buildings.

2)Ponmo processing also ongoing.

3) A processor is carrying  processed hides, another processor fetching this same dirty water for processing.

4) A table with processed hides and some quarters.

5) Horns and other wastes generated from slaughtering.

6) Did you notice the person sitting on the white bucket? guess what the person is doing?

 Do you know where these animal parts are been sold? Are you sure of what you are eating?

 Stay safe always, buy only  #beef, #beef-products certified wholesome from markets traceable to registered abattoirs only.

A thousand and one things are wrong with this picture. Food safety is everybody's business,stay safe.

This picture was taken by this concerned citizen while in traffic on the long bridge.

 

Learn why supporting your local butchers is an invaluable part of sustaining a healthy economy and environment.

Learn why supporting your local butchers is an invaluable part of sustaining a healthy economy and environment.

Local butchers have been an integral part of our economy and environment for centuries. They provide us with fresh, quality meat that can be used to make meals for ourselves or those we love. As consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental impact their food choices have on the planet, local butchers are becoming more important than ever before in terms of protecting our economy and environment. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore why local butchers are so crucial to both these aspects and what steps you can take if you want to support them within your community.

The Benefits Of Shopping Locally For Meat.

Shopping locally has a number of benefits when it comes to purchasing meat. 

• Quality – Local butcher shops offer superior cuts at competitive prices because they source directly from small farmers who practice humane animal husbandry methods; free range animals tend to produce higher quality meats due to increased exercise which results in leaner muscle development, better flavor profiles and improved texture overall.

• Freshness– Local butcher shops typically process orders quickly ensuring customers receive fresher product delivered faster than conventional stores whose supply chains may involve multiple middlemen sometimes resulting in weeks between farm gate delivery up until point-of sale purchase by consumer.  This reduces risk associated with spoilage over time'.  Meat marts allow customers access to display cubicles  enabling shoppers inspect goods.  Advanced bookings also offers further protection against potential mishandling during transit stages prior arriving store shelves ready for consumption .

• Support The Economy & Environment - By shopping at independent businesses like a local butcher shop  helps ensure money circulates through communities rather being funneled off elsewhere thus boosting area economies. This also supports smaller scale sustainable farming practices which helps to reduce negative impacts agriculture production often entails.  

Additionally since majority ingredients are sourced nearby there is reduced need to transport materials long distances hence cutting carbon emissions significantly benefiting health climate change initiatives world wide .

Making A Difference Through Your Purchases.

It's never been easier today than it was even just five years ago for people looking to make conscious decisions about where they buy their food from—especially when it comes down specifically selecting sources. Sustainably raised livestock products not considered harmful  to ecosystems surrounding them and also welfare of the animals .

 Fortunately there ways individuals able contribute positive shift away industrialized agriculture towards more ethical forms sourcing proteins without breaking bank doing so :

• Buy Directly From Butchers – Visit nearest reputable Butcher shop ask questions regarding origin/source Suppliers usually determine whether items purchased meet personal standards regards sustainability humaneness .

Butchers usually happy to discuss details of  processes involved in procuring meat they sell including variety cuts available. Butchers  also discusses the grades  ranging from high end prime low end budget friendly options .The customers' preference  is always a pleasant experience working  on a one on one basis. The benefit  direct dealing is  having trustworthiness, accountability and transparency is guaranteed knowing exactly what they are getting  with every visit.

• Join Community Supported Meat Sharing  Programmes.(CSMSP)  - Participate CSMSP programs join collective share responsibility.This reduces costs risks with reward of assorted  parts.

CSMSP  depending location and provider- setup cooperation system allows members access fresh meat at lowest prices  while simultaneously investing in future agricultural endeavors. This strengthens localized networks and  aids mutual solidarity among participants.

 Lastly dont forget to check labels for certification information.

Conclusion: It goes without saying how essential  the role butchers  play providing citizens safe nutritious beef.  The rise  in awareness importance  of eating ethically raised livestock coupled with efforts  to move away from reliance on heavily dependent processed convenience beef moves us back  to basics of real wholesome  dishes for healthier happier lifestyles..

 Therefore next consider replenishing stock protein supplies remember look no farther than your neighborhood butcher Shop  and reap rewards supporting locals sustaining planet same time ...

#meat sharing #franchising

Transforming The Red Meat Value Chain: Improving Public Health in the 21st Century.

 Transforming The Red Meat Value Chain: Improving Public Health in the 21st Century

The traditional way of producing and marketing red meat has been a major source of public health concerns for decades. From food safety to environmental pollution, the production and sale of red meat has had a widespread impact on our society. But with advances in technology and understanding, there is much hope that we can improve the red meat value chain for the betterment of public health. 

Read on to learn more about how we could potentially transform the red meat value chain to improve public health in the 21st century!

Introduction

The red meat value chain is a complex system that involves many different players, from farmers and ranchers to processors, retailers, and consumers. Each player has a unique set of needs and constraints, and the interactions between them can have important implications for public health.

In recent years, there has been growing concern about the potential health risks associated with red meat consumption. These concerns have led to calls for changes in the way the red meat value chain operates, in order to improve public health.

There is no single solution to the problem of improving public health in the red meat value chain. However, a number of proposals have been put forward that would address some of the key issues.

This article will provide an overview of the current state of the red meat value chain and public health concerns related to it. It will then discuss some of the proposed solutions for improving public health in the context of the value chain.

Definition and Overview of the Red Meat Value Chain

The red meat value chain is the process by which raw materials are converted into finished products that are ready for consumption. The chain involves a number of different actors, including farmers, feedlots, slaughterhouses, processors, retailers, and consumers.

The health of the red meat value chain is of paramount importance to public health. The World Health Organization has estimated that as much as 80% of all non-communicable diseases are attributable to dietary factors, and red meat is a major contributor to dietary risk. Consuming too much red meat can lead to obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases.

In order to improve public health, it is essential to transform the red meat value chain. This means making changes at every stage of the process in order to make red meat healthier. This includes changes such as breeding healthier livestock, providing them with better quality feed, and using more humane methods of slaughter.

It is also important to increase transparency throughout the red meat value chain so that consumers can make informed choices about the products they purchase. To this end, labeling should accurately reflect the content of products and provide information on how the animals were raised and slaughtered. Finally, it is imperative that government policies support these efforts to improve the red meat value chain and protect public health.

So what can be done to improve the red meat value chain and make it more sustainable? Below are three possible solutions:

1. Improve animal husbandry practices: One way to make livestock production more sustainable is to improve  animal husbandry practices. This can involve switching from intensive, industrialized farming methods to alternative systems such as organic, pasture-based and agroforestry approaches. These approaches result in higher animal welfare standards, make better use of natural resources and reduce emissions.

2. Increase investment in research and development: More research and development needs to be done in the red meat sector to improve production efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. This could include developing new animal breeds that require less energy, water or feed inputs, as well as innovating feed formulations to reduce emissions or increase nutrient profiles.

3. Promote responsible consumption: Finally, it is important to address public attitudes toward red meat. This could include educational campaigns about the health benefits of consuming lean red meats such as bison and venison, as well as strategies for reducing overall meat consumption through plant-based diets or other dietary interventions.

Overall, implementing these strategies will help create a more sustainable and healthy red meat value chain that can continue to support public health in the 21st century.

The Role of Government in Transforming the Value Chain

The role of government in transforming the red meat value chain is to invest in and support research and development to improve food safety and quality, while also promoting policies and initiatives that encourage industry consolidation and modernization.

There are two key ways in which the government can help transform the red meat value chain: by investing in research and development to improve food safety and quality; and by promoting policies and initiatives that encourage industry consolidation and modernization.In addition to supporting research on food safety

Conclusion

The red meat value chain can play an important role in promoting public health and sustainability. It is not only a way to meet the changing needs of consumers but also holds great potential for securing healthier, safer and more equitable food systems worldwide. 

By taking into account advances in technology and innovation, societies should take steps to transform their red meat value chain as part of larger efforts to foster better nutrition outcomes across populations, protect the environment and support farmers with sustainable market access. 

With these actions it will be possible to build a 21st century food system that's beneficial for everyone involved.

The effects of stress on Livestock and meat quality prior to and during slaughter.

 The effects of stress on Livestock and meat quality prior to and during slaughter.

Animal welfare hammers on 5 freedoms for animals among these are : 1) freedom from pain,injury and disease.

2) Freedom from hunger and thirst.

3)Freedom to express normal natural behavior.

4)Freedom from discomfort.

5)Freedom from fear and distress.

The aforementioned freedoms can be referred to holistically as freedom from stress. Stress impacts health, production, productivity as well as carcass quality in Livestock. 

The effects of stress on Livestock and meat quality prior to and during slaughter.

Animals presented for slaughtering in a stress free environment has natural conversion of muscle to meat, PH  will fall from 7 to about 5.4-5.7. The meat quality is excellent and has bright red color.

Animals that experience stress 24-48 hours prior slaughter have meat quality compromised.The PH does not fall to optimum level staying higher resulting in beef with darker color. The beef  is dark, firm to touch and has high fluid holding  capacity. This is referred to as dark, firm and dry.(DFD). Beef that are DFD have poor storing capacity and prone to bacterial spoilage.

Animals that are stressed  45 minutes prior to slaughter also give beef of low quality.The short period of stress prior to slaughter will cause a rapid drop of PH..This drop will result in beef of lighter color, softer texture which feels wet with reduced capacity to hold water. This type of beef is referred to as soft, pale and exudative.(PSE)

BEEF: What does your beef customer want?

 

What does your beef customer want? Understanding your beef customer starts with knowing your true buyer, then doing what it takes to meet their needs. 

 Do you know who your customer is? When I ask that question most people get this vision of the end consumer in mind, and possibly the thought of a foreign trade deal tries to slide into their mind as well. 

 The definition of the word customer is: a person or organization that buys goods and/or services from a business. To be direct the person who writes you a check for the cattle you sold is your customer. Unless you direct market the end consumer is not your customer. 

 The way to offer better service to your customer is know your market. What do the buyers willing to spend the most money there want? Figure that out and give it to them. In doing this you cannot cut corners, or pull up short.

 Understanding ‘reputation’ 

 This week I saw a few big strings of reputation cattle sell. The first bunch in this example were weaned thirty plus days. They were all black, vaccinated and on a feed program. These cattle were not the market toppers that day, as one might expect. Two buyers that could have bid them up chose not to. 

 The problem with this bunch is the feed program they are on. It is a good program, to a point. The cattle will eat the stuff, and they will gain. If you start them on it and leave them on it the feed program is awesome. 

The problem is when a customer buys them, and is trying to make money with them, that person will feed them more economically. To be direct, the two times I bought these cattle it was like my back grounding yard became rehab. Not all of them make it out of rehab.

#beef

Beef supply chain emissions can be reduced by more than 30% by 2030.

New and emerging technologies and management practices all offer significant opportunities.Beef supply chain contributions to global GHG emissions need to go down, and they can. 

Rabobank anticipates the market will be the most effective driver of GHG emissions reduction and believes that beef supply chain emissions can be reduced by more than 30% by 2030 in major markets.

 But in order to unlock the opportunities, leadership is needed. All sectors and supply chains need to reduce emissions, and the beef supply chain is no exception. 

Beef supply chains account for about 6% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of which about half are accounted for by the beef production stage of the supply chain. 

 New and emerging technologies and management practices – covering feed production, cattle breeding, cattle feeding, and soil and pasture management – all offer significant opportunities to reduce emissions. 

But that is not the only resource, global beef supply chain emissions can also be reduced significantly by transferring best practices from the most efficient beef supply chains to less efficient ones. The main driver will be the market. 

 #Agribusiness #Beef #Environment #Climatechange #SDGS.#foodsafety. 

  How onions in cattle feed can reduce emissions.

RED MEAT VALUE CHAIN: Processing And Packaging Options.

Red meat can be hygienically packaged and sold in meat shops. The packaging are usually of different parts or as specified by customers. The packaging can be in clear transparent bags that are air tight or the use of food trays for easy stacking in chillers. 

                    

Meat can be processed further by frying, this is packaged in beautiful handy packs . The packaging can be plates,trays or decorated bags. Women in beef processing  have various ways to prepare and process beef and beef products.

          

 Meat can be processed into beef jerky. This is done by cutting meat into thin slices, add spices then dry to produce the jerky. This delicacy is a spicy variety of  processed red meat popularly called, KILISHI.

 The export potential of this product is very high and the profit margin is high.  The  product is light ,easy to pack and very handy to ship out.

                                            

                                 

 Spicy beef jerky.

      Other processing options?  See                           

Slaughterhouses as Sources of Data for Animal Health Intelligence.

 The value of meat inspection as an animal health and food safety surveillance tool has been recognized by a number of agencies and organizations, including, the European Food Safety Authority,because most food animals would eventually be slaughtered, slaughterhouses are considered a key element along the food production chain in which pathological data, information on the presence of pathogens, drug residues, chemical contaminants, and antimicrobial resistance may be measured. 

Slaughterhouses therefore represent an important control point for the early identification of potential problems that may have an impact on public health as well as on animal health and welfare.

 This  affirms the reason why proper operational protocols must be adhered to in abattoirs and slaughter houses. Slaughtering must be carried out in hygienic conditions coupled with proper meat handling and transportation to ensure wholesome beef is available to the populace.

Echbee Foods : Wholesome beef.

Ensuring only wholesome beef gets to your table.

#foodsafety #foodsecurity # healthyliving. #Abattoir.

 

Agribusiness: food safety in Africa’s informal markets must be driven by consumers.

Listeria in processed meat products from South Africa, E. Coli in romaine lettuce in the US, Salmonella in eggs across Europe and Campylobacter in chicken liver pâté in Australia.

These are among the many pathogens and foods at the centre of recent food safety crises worldwide, estimated to impact as many people as infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB.

 But while deaths and illnesses from unsafe food hit countries worldwide, the incidences of these illnesses and lost lives are disproportionately high in Africa.

 Across the continent, tainted food kills about 140 000 people every year, and leaves 91 million more suffering from diarrhoea, tapeworm, hepatitis and even dysentery and typhoid.

 This is on course to become even worse as income growth and urbanization in Africa are enabling better, more diverse diets.

 Ironically, these healthier foods – such as dairy, eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables – are more likely to be contaminated.

#beef #abattoir #Lagosmeatreform #foodbank

ECHBEE FOODS.

ECHBEE FOODS; Agribusiness. Echbee foods, a subsidiary of Echbee vet ventures dealers of hygienically packaged beef, mutton,lamb,,eggs and farm fresh vegetables.

The vegetables are fresh and clean ,look The animals are carefully selected and slaughtered in an hygienic environment to ensure food safety.

Order today.

Agribusiness: Red meat business.

The war on misuse of antibiotics in food animals has opened the window of raising grass-fed cattle. The red meat value chain has evolved over the years and it is still evolving. The red meat business holds the key to employment,value addition and  red meat export business

The health implication of eating farm fresh beef from grass fed cattle are as follows;

 

1) food safety:  the animals are pasture fed with different combinations of hay and grasses ,also the absence of growth promoters during rearing. 

 

2) The risk of cancer in cattle fed on grasses are low.

 3)The beef is tasty and natural without any additives, no growth promoters.

Echbee foods, selects the very best from the herd and slaughter in an hygienic environment.

 Join our team:eat farm fresh products .Order yours today.

AGRIBUSINESS: ECHBEE FOODS.

Get wholesome,nutritious and hygienically packed beef,fish,chicken and eggs. These farm fresh products are handy,fit for human consumption and very pocket friendly. Thinking of where to order your next cattle for your celebration? call on us as we have live cows,goats and sheep for sale all at pocket friendly prices. Echbee foods also has an egg depot,where you can buy your eggs in large quantities at affordable prices.Thinking of gifting a loved one during the festive season? our handy pack is a great giveaway. These are some of our products, Order yours today!!!

MEAT SAFETY.

A simple, rapid test to help ensure safer meat. Scientists now report a simple method that uses nanotubes to quickly detect spoilage. It could help make sure meats are safe when they hit store shelves. Transporting meats and seafood from the farm or sea to the market while they're still fresh is a high priority. But telling whether a product has gone bad isn't a simple process. 

Current strategies for measuring freshness can be highly sensitive to spoilage but require bulky, slow equipment, which prevents real-time analysis. Some newer methods designed to speed up the testing process have fallen short in sensitivity.

 Yanke Che and colleagues wanted to develop one simple test that could deliver both rapid and sensitive results. The researchers turned to highly fluorescent, hollow nanotubes that grow dim when they react with compounds given off by meat as it decomposes.

 To test the nanotubes, the team sealed commercial samples -- 1 gram each -- of pork, beef, chicken, fish and shrimp in containers for up to four days. When they exposed the portable system to a teaspoon of vapor emitted by the samples, it reacted in under an hour, fast enough to serve as a real-time measure of freshness. The researchers also found that if the tubes' glow dulled by more than 10 percent, this meant a sample was spoiled. Story source;American Chemical Society.

AGRIBUSINESS: TUBERCULOSIS AND FOOD SAFETY.

When such cases are encountered during meat inspection,the organs are condemned.The carcass is condemned to if the lesions are generalized.

SLAUGHTERING PROCESS IN AN ABATTOIR.

FOOD FRAUD IN BEEF PROCESSING PLANT.

Beef processing and handling is riddled with a lot of challenges, ranging from lack of insurance policy to lack of compensation to butchers who have their animals condemned.

The food industry has faced with a lot of challenges and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the proper protocols are enforced. The food fraud saga rocking some countries has resulted in several food recalls and a larger percentage of the populace are changing their dietary preferences. 

Sharp practices are employed by processors to ensure they make profit to the detriment of consumers. 

 Have you gone to the market to buy beef weighing a particular KG,but when you leave on kitchen unit you discover a reduction in size? or you cut up the beef and when its done you discover a dramatic reduction? well!!! welcome to food fraud arena. 

The carcass is usually punctured and water is poured in the carcass to increase the weight.When you ask processors to supply beef at a particular weight,they simply add water to make up for the short fall and break even. #change it # new paradigm # better processing # meat inspection laws.# new breed butchers.

BEEF PROCESSING AND POINTS OF CONTAMINATION./INFECTION.

Beef processing could be done manually or in slaughtering lines,but however you choose to slaughter basic hygiene principles must be observed. Water is an essential resource in any meat processing plant.Water is needed in all the processing segments to ensure that the beef is wholesome and fit for human consumption.The source of water must be clean,portable ..The source is basically pipe-borne water fully treated to ensure that any pathogen is destroyed,pipes must be checked to ensure its not burs ted or have any underground access to sewage. Water is usually used at high pressure to hose the animal down as they are brought into the slap,then every aspect of the processing is interrupted with hosing down before moving to next stage. Transportation to the market is another point of contamination; when processed beef are exposed and transported in dirty basins or carried in dirty wheel barrows.The beef when in transit should be not be tied up in bags,as the heat generated will be a breeding ground for pathogens to thrive.The heat generated will also facilitate spoilage of the beef,resulting in sale of spoiled beef in the market. Beef processing should be carried out in clean environment and transported in clean vehicles that are properly aerated with cooling facilities.Beef should be hung on rails in the vans,to ensure no part of the beef is heated up.This will prevent spoilage of beef before arrival in shops.

FOOD FRAUD INVESTIGATION.

Su Cheng Foodstuffs investigated over food fraud

THE ROLE OF THE VETERINARIAN IN CURBING TUBERCULOSIS.