Tainted meat check stepped up as demand increasing during Chinese New Year

BANGKOK: The Department of Livestock Development has detected more than 40 pig farms in the central and northeastern regions that use harmful addictive to feed their animals so they could fetch higher profit for the meat they sell.

Such addictive known as beta agonist drug reduces the fat content of the meat and therefore increase the profit per animal. But the addictive is proved to also degenerate health of consumers.

It stepped up stricter checks of meat as it anticipates higher demand of meats during the Chinese New Year festival.

According to the department, the tainting of red meat to appear redder than they naturally are has been a problem for some time and against the law.

It has discovered that some farms inject their swine with beta agonist in order to increase the heart rate and blood pressure, thus resulting in leaner meat which appear redder than usual and as such are sold at higher prices.

It has conducted stricter testing of meat from slaughter houses since early January and has discovered that 80 of the 1,600 samples tested contained Ractopamine, one form of beta agonist drugs.

The tainted meat was discovered to have come from over 40 farms located within the central and northeastern region of the country; the most rampant use being in Chachoengsao and Chonburi provinces.

The department said the most common beta agonist drugs used by animal farms in Thailand are Butamol, Clenbuterol and Ractopamine.

According to the FAO/WHO Codex (Codex Alimentarius Commission – CAC), Ractopamine which is added to animal feed to promote leaness by USA farms is legal and acceptable as western cultures have a tendency of only consuming animal meat and not innards.

The danger of beta agonist drugs is that its residue lingers in innards and if consumed and accumulated in the human body can lead to heart problems and sometimes cancer.

Department of Livestock Development’s veterinarian Dr Marut Chiangsatien said these additives are health hazardous especially those with pre-existing medical conditions such as heart problems.

These drugs increase the heart rate and blood pressure; excessive consumption can lead to shock and cardiac arrest, he said.

According to the department, any animal tested positive for beta agonist drugs are re-tested again to ensure accuracy and are then quarantined for two weeks until the drugs leave the body to minimize the risk of residue in the meat.

These measures are taken to ensure consumer protection from tainted meat.

According to the legislation of 2015, any form of additives to make meat appear leaner is illegal.

Any farm owner found to be tainting meat with these drugs are subject to three years imprisonment and/or a fine of no more than 60,000 baht.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/148867

-- Thai PBS 2016-01-30

Livestock farms consider one thing.

Profit at any cost.

Greed controls.

suppose to be vegetarian diet for a week

Blame cp and the big boys

They're not billionaires for no reason...

If anyone should be held responsible its them and... And seems to be getting ever closer to a full monopoly on Thailand food supply

'....a fine of no more than 60,000bht.'

For illegally selling something known to cause heart disease and cancer in consumers.

There needs to be some serious reform of sentencing by the courts to reflect the seriousness of an offence.

Good old taint meat.

My favorite cut.

Blame cp and the big boys

They're not billionaires for no reason...

If anyone should be held responsible its them and... And seems to be getting ever closer to a full monopoly on Thailand food supply

Why blame CP and the" big boys"?

Meat sold frozen by CP in their shops is hygienically packaged and processed. Same at Makro (CP) and most of the chain supermarkets where they have refrigeration and freezers. I've never bought bad meat at Makro or any of the large stores.

The so-called "wet markets" are usually part of the problem as vendors cut meat and fish with bare hands and then take cash in the same hand.

Refrigeration in these markets usually consists of crushed ice.

Blame cp and the big boys

They're not billionaires for no reason...

If anyone should be held responsible its them and... And seems to be getting ever closer to a full monopoly on Thailand food supply

Why blame CP and the" big boys"?

Meat sold frozen by CP in their shops is hygienically packaged and processed. Same at Makro (CP) and most of the chain supermarkets where they have refrigeration and freezers. I've never bought bad meat at Makro or any of the large stores.

The so-called "wet markets" are usually part of the problem as vendors cut meat and fish with bare hands and then take cash in the same hand.

Simply because CP and the big corporations have got a stranglehold over the food all the way from farms to factories to 7/11's and supermarkets into your mouth....

They are paying pennies per kilo for most farm crops and even honest farmers won't have much choice but to add in the dangerous weight gainers and chemicals if they still want to turn a profit ...

I think its the same with most foodstuffs we are offered,you would

most likely starve to death after seeing some of the handling and

processing of what ends up in markets,even Supermarkets,like

the rats feeding on a meat stall in a market in Chiang Mai,that

was on a video on the Chiang Mai forum not so long ago.

regards worgeordie

Blame cp and the big boys

They're not billionaires for no reason...

If anyone should be held responsible its them and... And seems to be getting ever closer to a full monopoly on Thailand food supply

Why blame CP and the" big boys"?

Meat sold frozen by CP in their shops is hygienically packaged and processed. Same at Makro (CP) and most of the chain supermarkets where they have refrigeration and freezers. I've never bought bad meat at Makro or any of the large stores.

The so-called "wet markets" are usually part of the problem as vendors cut meat and fish with bare hands and then take cash in the same hand.

Simply because CP and the big corporations have got a stranglehold over the food all the way from farms to factories to 7/11's and supermarkets into your mouth....

They are paying pennies per kilo for most farm crops and even honest farmers won't have much choice but to add in the dangerous weight gainers and chemicals if they still want to turn a profit ...

I don't wish to get into a major debate over this, but I can assure you that not all meat sold at local markets in Thailand passes through Charoen Pokphand's hands. Many of these markets sell meat obtained direct from local farmers, in fact, where I live, a man sells pork off the back of a pickup, everything from head to tail and offal as well. He buys a whole pig, slaughtered by the local farmer. Ice is something he puts in his beer.

Meat spoils due to improper storage, refrigeration and generally poor handling and hygiene. It is these conditions in the markets that are subject of this topic re 'tainted' meat.

The farmers may well be in the "stranglehold" of CP re feed etc, but not all farmers raising pork, beef and chickens sell to them.

Why don't they just ban the chemicals that the farmers are feeding the pigs. If they state those chemicals are harmful to consumers then a ban is logical. But it's not just a Thai problem, it's worldwide. I remember a farmer/butcher/retailer in my home town in England fed his flock of turkeys antibiotics just before Xmas, apparently it makes them put on weight. But he was greedy and fed them too much of the stuff and they all died. Beef from many countries contains steroids, used to make the cattle build bigger muscle tissue. The list just goes on and on, not enough to turn me vegetarian, after all what about all the chemicals sprayed on crops, but enough to make me wary of where I buy my meat.

taint my cup of tea

Wasn't aware of Chinese fondness for tainted meat. I guess it goes down well with tiger dicks.

I think its the same with most foodstuffs we are offered,you would

most likely starve to death after seeing some of the handling and

processing of what ends up in markets,even Supermarkets,like

the rats feeding on a meat stall in a market in Chiang Mai,that

was on a video on the Chiang Mai forum not so long ago.

regards worgeordie

We have a hi-so market here between very expensive moobaans and the vendors who open their shop first have to chase all the rats out with a broom. I saw 20 of them running away, one even run over my foot.

The meatvendors are protected by fly's though, and you can smell them from far away.

The meat/fish/vendors are just inbetween the vegy/fruit/bread/salad vendors, they don't have their own corners on the market because then the customers can compare prices and that's the last thing they want to happen.

There are meatvendors who have a westernstyle coolingcounter but they won't show the retailprice.

So i never buy meat on a market, would rather pay double in a supermarket but also there they have no clue about hygiene. They always handover the plastic bag with the same hand they used to stuff the baggy. Then the cashier touches the baggy with her bare hands and so do the guys who pack it in plastic bags to take home.

I think its the same with most foodstuffs we are offered,you would

most likely starve to death after seeing some of the handling and

processing of what ends up in markets,even Supermarkets,like

the rats feeding on a meat stall in a market in Chiang Mai,that

was on a video on the Chiang Mai forum not so long ago.

regards worgeordie

We have a hi-so market here between very expensive moobaans and the vendors who open their shop first have to chase all the rats out with a broom. I saw 20 of them running away, one even run over my foot.

The meatvendors are protected by fly's though, and you can smell them from far away.

The meat/fish/vendors are just inbetween the vegy/fruit/bread/salad vendors, they don't have their own corners on the market because then the customers can compare prices and that's the last thing they want to happen.

There are meatvendors who have a westernstyle coolingcounter but they won't show the retailprice.

So i never buy meat on a market, would rather pay double in a supermarket but also there they have no clue about hygiene. They always handover the plastic bag with the same hand they used to stuff the baggy. Then the cashier touches the baggy with her bare hands and so do the guys who pack it in plastic bags to take home.

Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You ain't dead yet are ya?

You'll survive my friend.

I think its the same with most foodstuffs we are offered,you would

most likely starve to death after seeing some of the handling and

processing of what ends up in markets,even Supermarkets,like

the rats feeding on a meat stall in a market in Chiang Mai,that

was on a video on the Chiang Mai forum not so long ago.

regards worgeordie

Somewhere out there is a video of Jamie Oliver demonstrating how hamburger meat is harvested. If you watch it you may never eat a burger again.

I think its the same with most foodstuffs we are offered,you would

most likely starve to death after seeing some of the handling and

processing of what ends up in markets,even Supermarkets,like

the rats feeding on a meat stall in a market in Chiang Mai,that

was on a video on the Chiang Mai forum not so long ago.

regards worgeordie

Somewhere out there is a video of Jamie Oliver demonstrating how hamburger meat is harvested. If you watch it you may never eat a burger again.

Another nice Jamie Oliver video shows how they make jelly beans... I haven't ate one since I've seen it...

I still like to eat burgers so I'm not going to watch the burger vid lol

I think its the same with most foodstuffs we are offered,you would

most likely starve to death after seeing some of the handling and

processing of what ends up in markets,even Supermarkets,like

the rats feeding on a meat stall in a market in Chiang Mai,that

was on a video on the Chiang Mai forum not so long ago.

regards worgeordie

Somewhere out there is a video of Jamie Oliver demonstrating how hamburger meat is harvested. If you watch it you may never eat a burger again.

Seen it, horrible ! Also saw one about corned beef, shocking ! and one about processed ham, sickening ! Turned me off them for years, but eventually hunger and the lack of alternatives means they are back in my diet albeit in a limited way. I would hate to see how the truly tasteless "sausages" served everywhere in Thailand are made.

Good old taint meat.

My favorite cut.

Taint this and taint that

There is nothing better than seeing a transport truck driving down the road spuing out tons of black smoke from its exhaust while having it go into the back of the semi open back full of hanging pigs in 35 degree weather to make someone consider becoming a vegetarian.

There is nothing better than seeing a transport truck driving down the road spuing out tons of black smoke from its exhaust while having it go into the back of the semi open back full of hanging pigs in 35 degree weather to make someone consider becoming a vegetarian.

There is nothing better than the smell of taint meat in the morning.... It smells like, Victory!

I think its the same with most foodstuffs we are offered,you would

most likely starve to death after seeing some of the handling and

processing of what ends up in markets,even Supermarkets,like

the rats feeding on a meat stall in a market in Chiang Mai,that

was on a video on the Chiang Mai forum not so long ago.

regards worgeordie

We have a hi-so market here between very expensive moobaans and the vendors who open their shop first have to chase all the rats out with a broom. I saw 20 of them running away, one even run over my foot.

The meatvendors are protected by fly's though, and you can smell them from far away.

The meat/fish/vendors are just inbetween the vegy/fruit/bread/salad vendors, they don't have their own corners on the market because then the customers can compare prices and that's the last thing they want to happen.

There are meatvendors who have a westernstyle coolingcounter but they won't show the retailprice.

So i never buy meat on a market, would rather pay double in a supermarket but also there they have no clue about hygiene. They always handover the plastic bag with the same hand they used to stuff the baggy. Then the cashier touches the baggy with her bare hands and so do the guys who pack it in plastic bags to take home.

Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You ain't dead yet are ya?

You'll survive my friend.

I'm sure they serve the same meat in the local restaurants of foodcourts. I bet we all eat it sometimes.