Beware bogus beef – online sales and vendors caught with suspicious steak

Buying beef online? Is it real beef or faux beef? Almost all of the samples of ‘beef” ordered online, or taken as samples from schools in Bangkok and Prachinburi province, were found to be fake. The Halal Science Centre at Chulalongkorn University did the checks and was astonished to find that much of the beef bought online was actually cheaper cuts of pork. The pork can be marinated in ox blood to take on the appearance of beef. Harmful bacteria was also detected in portions of the samples checked by the University team.

The actual percentage of the beef checked that wasn’t actually ‘beef’ was 70%.

Alongkon Phonlabut of the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry said Saturday that the

Fake beef is becoming more of a thing over the past 3 months as online vendors and markets around he capital try to increase profits during the recent difficult economic times caused by lockdowns and closures.

Online restaurant suppliers and street stalls have been the worst offenders. Retail outlets were found to have no ‘fake’ beef when the samples were taken. 10 Thai ministries and food business associations, including livestock officials, have been meeting to discuss the source of the bogus beef.

Apart from the obvious health concerns, the scam is causing a loss of trust in Thailand’s 150,000+ Halal restaurants. It’s feared the controversy could affect Muslim travellers to Thailand as well as impact beef exports to Muslim-majority nations.

If anyone has information or heard about similar meat scams, you should call the consumer complaint hotline at 1166. If you have a sample of dodgy meet, you can take it for free testing to the Halal Science Centre located near the National Stadium on the campus of Chulalongkorn University. Or you can phone 022-181-054.

SOURCE: Coconuts