Troupe claims meat dumped at Retirement Landfill being retrieved and sold

WESTERN BUREAU:

The St James Health Services says it will investigate claims that meat dumped at the Retirement landfill, after being deemed unfit for human consumption, is making its way back into the market.

During yesterday’s sitting of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC), Councillor Michael Troupe, who represents the Granville division, where the dump site is located, told the meeting that it has been reported to him that persons are collecting the dumped meat and selling it to persons unaware of its origin.

“People are complaining that when meat was dumped at the dump, somebody came right behind the truck and took the meat right back to the market. Once the meat is dumped, it should be immediately buried, and the people are saying that the particular meat that the person took away on this occasion was not covered,” said Troupe. “They are also saying that some people around the dump are cooking the meat. So you might have a restaurant where the people cook the meat and sell to the public.”

However, in declaring ignorance to the claim, Sherika Lewis, the acting chief public health inspector for St James, thanked Troupe for the information and gave a commitment to investigate the matter.

“We appreciate this type of information reaching to the health department so that we can take corrective action accordingly,” said Lewis. “Nothing has been reported to us, so this is the first time we are hearing of this. However, we will do our investigation and report accordingly.”

Sharnon Williams, the senior public supervising officer for the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) Western Parks and Markets Limited, told the meeting that there is a specific protocol for how the waste-collection agency should dispose of spoiled food items.

“When we get a request to send a truck for spoiled meat or spoiled goods, we refer to this as special waste. We do it in collaboration with the public health department, which sprays the meat, after which we will collect the meat and bury it, and we have equipment at the disposal site where we normally dig a hole and bury the meat,” explained Williams. “I have never heard of such complaints [as outlined by Troupe], so I cannot speak to that.”

Claims of dumped meat being retrieved and sold to unsuspecting persons are not new. In 2015, reports surfaced that vendors in Kingston were collecting rejected meat from the Riverton City disposal site and selling it for as little as $110 per pound. The practice was said to have continued at that facility up to 2018.

The Food and Drugs Act makes it an offence to sell food deemed unfit for human consumption. Any person found in breach is liable to a fine of up to $1 million or a prison term up to 12 months.

While not dismissing Troupe’s claim, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon told yesterday’s meeting that no action coud be taken until a thorough investigation was conducted.

“You are speaking from the point of a complaint that is uninvestigated. We do not want to raise an alarm for something that is unjustified and not properly investigated,” said Vernon. “The residents can say anything, but based on the concern raised, there follows an investigation. We do not want to say, ‘Oh, this is the case’, and there is no investigation to justify what they are saying.”

Following a fire at the dump site in 2023, plans were outlined to secure the facility to prevent unauthorised persons from scavenging. However, when The Gleaner contacted Lafaine Wiggan, the community relations officer at Western Parks and Markets Limited, about the status of security at the landfill, she would only say that there had been no reports of breaches at the facility.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com