With the infernal heat wave predicted from this week, civil society associations have called for sanitary measures to preserve the quality of meat during Eid al-Adha, in order to avoid a scenario similar to that of ” green meats which happened five years ago in Morocco.
Thus, consumer associations have insisted on the need to avoid exposing the meat of the Eid al-Adha sacrifice to the sun and to cut it within six hours of slaughter, due to the high temperatures that could lead to rotting of the meat.
Bouazza Kherrati, president of the Moroccan Federation of Consumer Rights (FMDC), indicated that “ the main cause of meat spoilage in 2019 was related to animal feed, given of course the increase in temperatures“. He pointed out that ” authorities have waged a rigorous campaign against violators of food safety rules since that time“.
In a statement to MoroccoLatestNews, Kherrati pointed out that “ the heat wave plays a role in meat spoilage, especially as Eid al-Adha coincides with summer“. He pointed out that ” families must adhere to a set of health guidelines necessary to preserve the quality of their meat“.
Thus, Kherrati advises families not to feed the sheep the night before slaughter and to hire a professional butcher to carry out the slaughter. He also insists on the use of plastic bags specially designed for the conservation of meat, and specifies that the cutting of the sheep must be carried out only six hours after slaughter.
He also pointed out that ” Freezing plays an essential role in the preservation of meat, and the freezer should not be opened several times a day, as this causes a drop in temperature and thus affects the preservation process“. He estimates that ” the quality of the freezer determines the shelf life“.
For his part, Tarik Al Bakhti, president of the Moroccan Consumer Forum, mentioned that “ the Meteorology Directorate has warned of rising temperatures this week, reaching record highs exceeding 45 degrees, which calls for caution when it comes to meat“.
Solicited by MoroccoLatestNewsAl Bakhti pointed out that “ the cutting of the mutton should be done the same day, and the meat should be cut into small pieces and stored in the freezer the same night, using specially designed bags, not ordinary plastic bags“.
The associative actor stressed that the sacrifice should not be left exposed to the sun to prevent it from rotting quickly, especially as temperatures will reach record levels this week. He noted that six hours is enough time to carve the mutton and store the meat in the freezer to avoid damage.