Shopper says he saw cart full of raw, unwrapped meat at Toronto grocery store

Loblaw Companies Ltd. says it took action after a customer snapped a photo that appears to show a shopping cart full of raw, unwrapped meat at a grocery store.

Thornhill resident Michael Pearl said he was taken aback by what he saw behind the butcher’s counter during one of his regular shopping trips to a Real Canadian Superstore location in North York.

“It looked like there was something like 40 or 50 steaks in there,” he said in an interview on Tuesday. “There was no wrapping around them. They just seemed to be naked in the cart.”

Pearl said he showed his photo to a manager in the store, who was very surprised and said she would address the issue. He also posted the image to Facebook the next day, on Oct. 6.

“I just thought it was one of the most unsanitary and unhygienic things I’ve ever seen in a long time,” he said.

A spokesperson for Loblaw said the photo depicts an incident that is not in line with food safety procedures and “absolutely should not have happened.”

“The store immediately addressed this with the colleague, and we’ve reminded all departments of our protocols to ensure nothing like this happens again,” said Karen Gumbs, the company’s director of public relations.

READ MORE: Grocery giant Loblaw demands suppliers cut prices to lower grocery bills

Pearl said he filed a complaint with Toronto Public Health about what he saw at the store.

Owen Chong, manager of healthy environments for the agency, said a health inspector was sent to the location on Oct. 17 and the issue was addressed with staff. The investigation is now closed.

“It was acknowledged that the storage of raw meats in shopping carts was contrary to the store policy and procedures for the handling of raw meats,” he said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

The spokesperson for Loblaw apologized for any concern and said customers “can have confidence in the safety of the meat purchased at this store.”

Pearl said he still shops at the store out of convenience and hasn’t encountered any issues since.