Quebec grocers are unhappy with a new government proposal that could see fresh meat given expiry dates.
According to a report in the Journal de Montreal, the government is considering forcing grocers to place best-before dates on fresh meat. Currently, federal law only requires the labels on packaged meat.
Food Retailer’s Association spokesperson Florent Gravel said the measure would only serve to hurt consumers and cause them to throw out still-edible food.
He said consumers rarely get sick from fresh meat and should use common sense by smelling the meat when deciding whether it has gone bad or not.
“How many people died in Quebec in the last two years because they ate some meat that was no good?” said Gravel. “None. We have some problems with hamburger because sometimes consumers don’t take care of the meat. They let it out in the sun, they put it on the same plate they have the juice in. That sometimes has an effect. But how many people are sick because of the meat we sell? None. So why put in place a rule like that?”
He added that it’s hard to know the shelf life of fresh meat but that very few people buy ground beef and let it sit for days before consuming it.
The official directive from the government is scheduled to be published Wednesday in the Official Gazette of the Province of Quebec.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said that concerned parties would then be able to submit their concerns which will be taken into consideration prior to any new rules being introduced.
