Supermarkets Vs Butchers

geordie_joe

A._Badger wrote: »

Just remind us, if you will, who was selling the horsemeat last year?

The horsemeat was hidden inside pre-made products which butchers don't usually sell. You can't really blame any supermarket if they buy something and what is in the box was not what they ordered. They can't be expected to open each box and test each item.

Butchers on the other hand have been fined for labelling meat meat as "local" when it wasn't, selling mutton as goat, etc.

There is a big difference between a supermarket being scammed by it's supplier, then unknowingly passing it on to it's customer, and a butcher deliberately setting out to scamming it's customers.

stephen77

A._Badger wrote: »

Just remind us, if you will, who was selling the horsemeat last year?

Deaths = 0.

****
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/154107.stm

Deaths = 21.

I am sure if I look there will be more cases, okay that is the worst case in my memory. But there will be other cases of people being ill.

geordie_joe

A._Badger wrote: »

Just remind us, if you will, who was selling the horsemeat last year?

Yes but look at who is selling horsemeat THIS YEAR.

Looks like it turned out to be a good thing for many people.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horse-meat-galloping-shelves-spite-3162605

stephen77

geordie_joe wrote: »

Yes but look at who is selling horsemeat THIS YEAR.

Looks like it turned out to be a good thing for many people.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horse-meat-galloping-shelves-spite-3162605

Shame my local butchers is not selling horse.

SoWhatIsNext

Wow you guys are pedantic.

So apparently if you haven't personally followed the meat from the farm to the butchers shop window, the butcher is almost certainly selling something dodgy? Right.

A long established independent butcher is very unlikely to be trying to cheat you by misrepresenting their meat.

But since you can't be 100% sure, I suggest you just buy your meat from the supermarket. You can be certain they would never cut corners to save a few pence.

And I'm sure the supermarket would be more than happy to let you trace where the meat has come from and where it's been before it hits the shelves.

geordie_joe

stephen77 wrote: »

Shame my local butchers is not selling horse.

How do you know he's not?

stephen77

SoWhatIsNext wrote: »

Wow you guys are pedantic.

So apparently if you haven't personally followed the meat from the farm to the butchers shop window, the butcher is almost certainly selling something dodgy? Right.

A long established independent butcher is very unlikely to be trying to cheat you by misrepresenting their meat.

But since you can't be 100% sure, I suggest you just buy your meat from the supermarket. You can be certain they would never cut corners to save a few pence.
.

Your missing the point.
There is this belief on here of
Supermarkets = evil
Butchers = Saints.

There are good butchers and bad butchers.
Some butchers may be really good at butchering, good with customers but may lack a little technical expertise. As no one is perfect at everything.

We have poster saying their butcher is good as they know where the meat comes from etc. But have they been to been to check. So if you make a claim, its likely to be challenged.

Regarding technical spending of the supermarkets. I would assume there budget is increasing as NO super markets wants to have the next horse meat scandal associated with there brand. So while a price war is going on. The cost of getting food safety issue wrong often far out weighs costs of preventing it in the 1st place.
I am not claiming nothing will ever go wrong again.
Just no industry is 100% perfect.

SoWhatIsNext wrote: »

And I'm sure the supermarket would be more than happy to let you trace where the meat has come from and where it's been before it hits the shelves.

I am not claiming a super markets lets you do.
We have poster claiming that they like there butchers as they do this and that, but I am making the point they have not been to the abattoir etc. to 100% know this happens day in and out.

stephen77

geordie_joe wrote: »

How do you know he's not?

touch! .

SoWhatIsNext

stephen77 wrote: »

Your missing the point.
There is this belief on here of
Supermarkets = evil
Butchers = Saints.

There are good butchers and bad butchers.
Some butchers may be really good at butchering, good with customers but may lack a little technical expertise. As no one is perfect at everything.

We have poster saying their butcher is good as they know where the meat comes from etc. But have they been to been to check. So if you make a claim, its likely to be challenged.

I agree, there are good and bad butchers. If you aren't following every piece of meat from farm to the shop window then it comes down to trust. A long established butcher shouldn't have any issues, but again you can never be absolutely 100% sure.

Regarding technical spending of the supermarkets. I would assume there budget is increasing as NO super markets wants to have the next horse meat scandal associated with there brand. So while a price war is going on. The cost of getting food safety issue wrong often far out weighs costs of preventing it in the 1st place.
I am not claiming nothing will ever go wrong again.
Just no industry is 100% perfect.

Supermarkets will always be pushing the boundaries to cut costs. Perhaps they won't be quite as aggressive with cutting corners as they used to for a while. However an independent butcher has an accountability that a supermarket doesn't in that if they are found to be cheating, they will lose their reputation and most likely lose their livelihood in addition to the local community knowing who the person responsible is.

A supermarket may pay a fine, but there's no way of knowing if they have fixed the issues that caused the problems in the first place.

I am not claiming a super markets lets you do.
We have poster claiming that they like there butchers as they do this and that, but I am making the point they have not been to the abattoir etc. to 100% know this happens day in and out.

Agreed, again it comes down to trust and who you would rather place it with.

geordie_joe

SoWhatIsNext wrote: »

However an independent butcher has an accountability that a supermarket doesn't in that if they are found to be cheating, they will lose their reputation and most likely lose their livelihood in addition to the local community knowing who the person responsible is.

Reputations don't pay bills. If an independent butcher is in financial trouble, or just greedy, he may be tempted to risk his reputation for money, and there isn't anyone above him to stop him doing it.

A supermarket manager has people above him checking up on him. Even the CEO answers to the shareholders, so he knows if he does wrong they will hold him to account.