How Safe is Your Local Meat and Seafood Market?

Learn What To Look For To Prevent a Food Poisoning Illness!

The meat and seafood market functions much like a restaurant - food processing or handling, and like a food market - selling packaged foods to be processed and consumed at another location. There are also a few unique things you should be especially aware of concerning a meat and seafood market.

First a basic definition. A meat and seafood market can be defined as any permanently located business where both water and land animal parts are processed, displayed, packaged and sold retail, mainly in the raw, not ready-to-eat, state. Some meat markets also have a kitchen where they additionally cook their meat and display it cold or hot for sale ready-to-eat.

There are two basic ways you will see meat, poultry or seafood products displayed at a meat or seafood market. One is unpackaged in a partially or fully enclosed, refrigerated display case where the butcher or other employee wraps up the product upon request from the customer. The other way is prepackaged in a self-service display refrigerator or freezer.

DISPLAY CASES

Since the meat market is typically open for the customer to observe much of the processing areas, here is what to look for, and look out for, inside an enclosed display case and behind the case or counter:

• The products may be kept on a thick bed of fresh ice.  If so, there should be sufficient ice to at least partially bury the product.  Ice takes more maintenance and will have to be replenished often.  Nothing should be stored in standing water.  Fish should be displayed with their bellies down allowing the melting ice to drain away from the fish, thus reducing the chances of spoilage.
• There should be no distinct or strong odors coming from the processing area or from the product you purchase.  Fresh meats, poultry and seafood that are kept at proper temperature have almost no odor.  A strong fishy odor from fish, or a strong pungent or irregular odor from red meats or poultry indicates spoilage and is not something you want to purchase.  Fresh fish should have a fresh ocean or "seaweedy" smell. Be sure to smell anything the employee wraps up and gives to you to determine its freshness.
• Color also is a good indicator of freshness . Here are some typical signs of spoilage:

• Lobsters, crabs and crayfish sold live should show definite signs of movement; shells are clean without dark blotches or cracks; lobster tails curl under body when picked up.
• Oysters, clams and mussels sold live have hard, unbroken and reasonably clean shells, should be tightly closed.  If the shell is slightly open, tap on it strongly. If it doesn't close, don't buy it.  It usually means the animal is dead. (Soft shell clams can't completely close, but the shells and the "necks" will show more movement.)
• Fresh Fish or finfish should have bright clear eyes, black pupils and transparent corneas (almost alive); reddish or pink gills; shiny, moist skin with no flaking of scales.  When pressed slightly, fresh fish will give slightly, then bounce back into shape.
• Fillets have a bright shiny color; same "seaweedy" smell, firm, elastic and moist flesh with almost translucent color; clean, carefully executed, trimming, boning and skinning; no bruising, blood spots or browning.
• Fresh or thawed shrimp has firm flesh completely filling shell; no blackened edges or black spots on shells; shell and flesh should not feel slippery; no strong odors.
• Fresh ground beef and cuts of red meats usually appear bright red in the display case. In prepackaged, hermetically sealed packages this may be a different story.  See below on the prepackaged areas of the meat market.
• Any indication of sliminess or glossiness on any meat or seafood product usually means the beginning growth of microorganisms.
• No cooked or ready-to-eat products should be in the same case or anywhere near raw products.

PROCESSING AREA

The processing area has the same requirements as a restaurant kitchen. Here they are with some added specifics for the meat market: 

• As always, look for good personal hygiene of the meat market employees including wearing clean garments, aprons, with hair restrained in a hat or hair net, all other body hair covered, short trimmed fingernails, no open or exposed cuts or rashes, not smoking or using tobacco or chewing gum, and not obviously ill.  Aprons and cloth towels should be changed frequently and should not look excessively soiled.  Employees or food handlers should also not wipe their hands on their aprons or these cloth towels—only disposable paper towels.
• How knowledgeable is the seafood employee about different types of seafood? Can he or she tell you how old the products are and explain why their seafood is fresh?  If they can’t answer simple questions, reconsider buying anything from this market.
• The processing area is well maintained and well organized with no accumulation of trash, junk or old equipment, or backed up plumbing or water on the floor.  All floors, walls and ceilings are in good condition and not broken or showing peeling paint or plaster.  No overhead leaking from the ceiling or open pipes. All equipment are well maintained and appear in good working order.  Chemicals and other poisonous substances should not be anywhere near food, food contact surfaces or utensils.  No evidence of vermin, live or dead, especially flies!
• No live animals or birds (excluding fish or shellfish in an tank).

SELF SERVICE REFRIGERATOR OR FREEZER

This area is typically comprised of open refrigerator display cases where prepackaged meat, poultry and seafood products are offered for sale. Some of the products may be processed and packaged in the meat processing area of that market and some may be processed and packaged at another location.  The meat products processed at another location are known as "case ready" meats—those processed and packaged immediately after slaughter, eliminating the need for butchers at local markets.

The difference can easily be seen on the label and the packaging. The locally processed and packaged products typically have a sticker label that is printed on a printer, has the name of the market and is housed in a Styrofoam tray, enclosed with plastic or cellophane wrap.  The “case ready” product will have a more permanent label on the package, more permanent seal or wrap and in many cases are vacuum packed and/or hermetically sealed (air tight).  The brand or company name on the product may also indicate that it was not processed at that market.

For all packaged meat and seafood products, here are some good recommendations and practices to follow:

• Follow the “Sell By” dates. Most meat, poultry and seafood products will have them and they are usually very short compared to other products.
• Look for the same evidence of spoilage as noted above for unpackaged products. Smell the package to determine if any odd odors are present and look for signs of discoloration as noted above.  The bright red color in meats may no longer indicate the freshness it once did in certain “case ready” meats.  There is a newer controversy with the case ready products where the meat industry has “spiked” meats with low, harmless levels of carbon monoxide gas, which gives red meat a bright pink color that lasts for weeks.  It is uncertain how much product this is performed on.  Certain groups are attempting to have this banned, or at least added to the label.  In my opinion it is deceptive and should at least be noted on the label.
• Purchase only products that have little or no liquid in the package.  Clear or cloudy liquid could indicate older product and possible microorganism growth.
• It is possible for the meat market to repackage product that has passed the “ sell by” date but has no overt signs of spoilage.  Although not illegal, it is generally not a good practice.  It lessens the time you have to store the product before it starts to shows signs of spoilage.  Observe and inquire to determine if this is practiced at your local meat market.
• Follow the relatively new “Safe Food Handling Instructions” label now required on meat and poultry products (not yet required on seafood).