WARREN, Mich. – A shipment of raw beef that was loaded into a shopping cart outside a store in Warren has been traced back to a meat market in Garden City, state and federal inspectors said.
Photos showed raw meat being delivered Tuesday to the Warren Food Market in a passenger van, which represents an alarming safety issue, according to officials.
The meat was in boxes in the van. A person who identified himself as the wholesaler said the boxes broke, so the meat was delivered in a shopping cart.
Shabb Ahmed, who took the delivery at the Warren Food Market, said it is delivered to him in a van, but this time, he sent it back. Ahmed said the meat is delivered fresh in a van and frozen.
By law, meat should be first inspected by the USDA before it's delivered to stores and sold to customers. Sources told Local 4 the meat hadn't been inspected by the USDA and came from a facility that isn't federally licensed.
The gold delivery van is registered to the Al Nassr Halal Meat Market in Garden City.
Outside the meat market, a grey Jeep has fresh eggs in the back. The cargo area appeared to be used for food delivery. The man working at the shop wouldn't answer any questions.
The person who first shot photos of the meat delivery said it's disgusting that federal and state food handling regulations are clearly being ignored.
Video sparks outrage over handling of meat
As the video made its rounds online, it didn't take long for people to start asking questions. The delivery was being made to the market on 10 Mile Road near Ryan Road.
"That's disgusting. That's unsanitary," the woman who took the photos said.
She doesn't want to be identified, but her Facebook post has gone viral after she took photos of a man loading 200 pounds of raw beef into a shopping cart in the parking lot of Warren Food Market.
"For you to put it in a shopping cart, and no telling it was hot earlier," she said.
Employees at Warren Food Market said they saw the man loading the beef in the cart, and the $800 worth of beef is in their freezer.
"I have no concern about this," an employee said.
When the questions got tougher, Local 4 was directed to speak to the wholesaler, Nazem Saad Halal Meat.
Nazem Saad said they used the cart because the two boxes carrying the meat broke.
"When they lifted it, the meat came out," Saad said.
He said he saw the photos being taken.
"I don't think it is a big deal," Saad said.
Officials said this isn't a proper food handling method and it's unsanitary. Customers on social media agreed.
"I don't wish anyone to get shut down, but I wish they would practice better sanitary practices because I don't believe it's sanitary, in my opinion," the woman said.
The woman said she was at the laundromat next door to Warren Food Market when she saw the meat being loaded into the shopping cart. She said she felt compelled to take photos so the public would know what's going on at the grocery store.