At first, the Poles stated the meat from a precarious slaughterhouse was not exported abroad. This turned out to be false, however. It is now obvious that restaurant goers, as well as children eating in school canteens, have consumed the spoiled Polish meat in Slovakia.
Slovakia's State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS) has listed on its website about nine Slovak stores and storage areas to which the spoiled meat was delivered.
Butcher Michal Polunc from Oravský Podzámok, northern Slovakia, recently told the Sme daily how the meat trade works. He has been involved in the meat industry for 33 years, starting in a slaughterhouse. He opened his own butcher's shop and cutting facility 11 years ago.
A man who just looks at meat in a store will not be able to figure out whether the meat is, in fact, good; he must smell it, Polunc claims. He adds that only animals walking on their own can be sent to a slaughterhouse.
How does meat get to the butcher's shop?
I order meat from my supplier. Only meat from slaughterhouses can end up in stores, because a veterinarian checks it there. They mark it with an oval stamp, which means the meat is safe. Then, it can go on sale.
