NCDC clears hypermarket from food complaints

THE National Capital District Commission’s (NCDC) inspection of RH Hypermarket’s butchery department at Vision City last Wednesday after receiving food complaints on Facebook found its food stock in good condition.
NCDC’s environmental health officers Monica Nakilai and Jacklyn Onga inspected the supermarket’s butchery facilities and food items, especially fish, prawns and roasted pork which were reported as ‘stinky’ when prepared for meal.
The officers manually checked the food and measured the temperatures of their butchery facilities, including the chiller, food display fridge and the cold room to establish whether they were in compliance with the food safety standards.
They said food stock was in good condition and could have been confiscated if it had smelled as claimed.
The officers said the temperature readings were within acceptable levels, adding the management confirmed that its prawns stock on display could last between 20 and 30 minutes before they were taken back to the cold room for refrigeration and then returned to the display machine.
They said this could have been one of the reasons why it gave off an odour when it was exposed to the atmosphere for longer time before being prepared for meal.
It was also found that local suppliers of pork lacked hangers in their vans to ensure the meat was blood-free to avoid attracting bacteria which caused horrible odour and the problem could lie with the suppliers and not the retailer.
RH Hypermarket assistant general manager Phil Ager told The National that they were pleased that NCDC visited the store and found no issues with the fish or butchery departments and it was agreed that they were in full compliance with the handling procedure.
“We also ensure that all our suppliers are in compliance with food safety standards that comply with PNG regulators and in regards to our pork deliveries,” Ager said.
“All our suppliers meet all NCDC and National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) standards which include inspections upon arrival for temperature and condition of product,” he said.
Ager said they had a team of independent people who did internal audits on all their food safety and cleaning standards to ensure they provide the best and freshest fresh foods.
He said they also had a qualified food safety person who did regular checks and staff training.