WSMV Claims Harris Teeter Sells Bad Meat

The Channel 4 I-Team was tipped off months ago to what employees at Harris Teeter in Brentwood called “bad practices.”

 

Since then, the I-Team has been buying meat and seafood our sources said should never have been sold to anyone.

“It appears that … somebody is pulling out-of-date items, pulling the tags off them and trying to resell them,” said Josh Burgess, a butcher at Harris Teeter. “They haven’t been remarked yet, but they’re back in the cooler, which is still a no-no.”

Burgess, a butcher with eight years experience at different grocery stores, said he’s seen a number of things at the store that just weren’t right. In February, he began using his phone to document meat he believes had gone past its sell-by date.

“I’ve addressed this with store managers in the past. Nothing’s been done about it,” Burgess said. “But what else are we supposed to do? Every time I see something back here with a tag, it makes me suspicious.”

What happens to the meat is only part of the story.

“It’s a disgrace, actually,” Burgess said. “It’s been the worst meat department I’ve worked in, in any company, whether it’s a small mom and pop or any corporation.”

“I began raising issues pretty much my first day there,” he added. “I’ve raised it with my co-workers, with my department manager and at least two of the store managers, even HR. Nobody has done anything. Something needs to be done about it. That’s why I contacted the news.”

The I-Team has been talking for months with two of the six people, a third of the staff, in the meat and seafood department. They tell similar stories about smell.

“The very first thing I noticed was that you could smell the seafood department when you walked in the front door,” Burgess said. “And seafood doesn’t smell bad. Fresh fish doesn’t smell like fish.”

They also raised concerns about (continue reading)

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