Alternative sources for groceries, saw strange thing last night

kiitos on 21/03/2020 - 09:20

Yesterday in Chatswood Sydney I saw a long queue outside a small shop that usually sells Asian health foods, formula etc. I noticed a number of people were carrying cooler bags and asked a guy what he was buying and he said they arranged for a wholesale purchase of meat, in the cooler bag were a few massive chunks of meat. also saw people picking up large trays of eggs.

O asked what type of meat it was, and he shrugged, saying his wife had ordered it, he was just picking it up.

Does anyone here have more details about this? Is this widespread?

Any other alternative sources of produce and other groceries that have sprung up?

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • try2bhelpful on 21/03/2020 - 09:30
    +28

    If it was me I would be calling the health department. If this place isn’t licensed to sell meat who knows what they are selling, and under what conditions.

    • WreckTangle on 21/03/2020 - 09:34
      +60

      On an unrelated note, i haven’t seen my cat this morning…

      • Chris Topher on 22/03/2020 - 11:29
        +1

        Did someone say Kaye Eff See?

      • striker5950 on 23/03/2020 - 10:49

        my dog seems to be missing too

      • try2bhelpful on 21/03/2020 - 10:02
        +41

        Now I know you are just trolling, but for the audiences sake, Interestingly enough the laws are in place to ensure a healthy supply of meat so people don’t sell each other contaminated meat, you know, like the contaminated bat meat they think may well have started this little caravan in the first place.

        • Hardlyworkin on 21/03/2020 - 10:41

          Is being hilarious the same as trolling?

        • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 10:44
          +4

          Where I am, we purchase meat from hobby farms all the time. They come in big chunks and we break them down to smaller pieces ourselves.

          • ozhunter on 21/03/2020 - 11:54
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: Same.

            Just before Christmas, my dad got a whole lamb from a hobby farm. His friend killed it, but I did everything else with a knife, hacksaw, and a watering hose.

            Even tried their fresh goat's milk; which I milked myself straight into the bottle and just using a handkerchief as the filter.

          • mskeggs on 21/03/2020 - 11:20
            +10

            @HighAndDry: Would you be equally happy for unregulated meat to be served to you in a restaurant, or under plastic at the woolies counter?
            Even the most libertarian viewpoint surely can see there is a place for food regulation.
            And to your points about farm gate and hunters. A hunter isn’t selling meat onward. A farm gate sale is typically butchered by a trade qualified butcher.

            Having a law that says you can’t sell foods without meeting health standards is hardly an unreasonable impost from the nanny state.

              • try2bhelpful on 21/03/2020 - 12:11
                +5

                @HighAndDry: I will go back to my original point. The origin of this virus is, apparently, people selling dodgy meat in poorly unregulated circumstances. If this stuff is being sold illegally then this is the height of stupidity. It is like the people in India who sell homemade alcohol that kills people or drives them blind. On a short term basis very few people need meat, and what they do have can be expanded by using it sparingly with a lot of vegetables etc. Go ahead, buy your unregulated meat but don’t expect there to be many beds available when you get food poisoning. I will give you the benefit that you are trolling, but I would err on the side of calling the health department and, potentially, saving people from food poisoning. If it is all legal then no harm no foul. You would probably be happy to sell adulterated medicine to children as well. Oh, that Nanny state that regulates the medicine we take and ensures our health professionals are qualified.

                • the Unforgiven on 22/03/2020 - 14:14

                  @try2bhelpful: You only go blind or dead if you don't take the methanol out. Take that out & you are fine

                  It only takes 10ml of methanol to blind someone & 30ml to kill someone; I make 'shine', so I know

                  The big companies make their money by leaving 'heads' in their booze, that is why you get headaches, if they left it out, you would not get hangovers, but your booze would cost more

              • mskeggs on 21/03/2020 - 12:22
                +4

                @HighAndDry: I understand this point, but consider how this could work in practice if you were in charge of food safety.
                Do you make an exception from the regulations for current circumstances? If yes, can a restaurant also take advantage of it? Do you let them, or make a new regulation about informing customers? How do you enforce any of it?

                And why is this shop selling black market meat? Are we confident it is sourced and handled properly? Is that because they have followed regulations?

            • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 12:13
              -2

              @mskeggs: Licensing doesn't really do much.

              Just because there is a suspicious they COVID-19 started from exotic meats doesn't mean licensing would have stopped the spread of disease.

              Mad cow originated from a licensed farm, processed in a licensed abattoir, sold in licensed butchers.

              I agree that tracking the source of food should be present but the consumers in this scenario should be clued in enough to know that where they are buying their meat and how it is packaged is not to commercial standards. As long as the meat isn't procured through criminal activity (or stolen or harvested against limits), nor there any misrepresentation, why does the government need to step in?

              • mskeggs on 21/03/2020 - 12:27
                +2

                @[Deactivated]: My concern isn’t related to exotic disease control, but hygiene/food safety.
                It is not a good idea to water down food safety regulation, so that consumers become responsible for identifying safe suppliers.
                Caveat emptor is ok for some things, but this is kind of the definition of black market activity - who knows if the food is safe or not?
                If we turn a blind eye, who know where the meat will end up?
                What if it turns out to spread listeria or salmonella? How does a consumer vet for that at the point of sale?

                • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 12:38

                  @mskeggs:

                  What if it turns out to spread listeria or salmonella? How does a consumer vet for that at the point of sale?

                  So far, the outbreaks of both the diseases you raise has been through one of the two major supermarkets.

                  • mskeggs on 21/03/2020 - 12:56
                    +4

                    @[Deactivated]: Are you genuinely arguing for exemptions in food safety regulations? Or just pointing out that existing regulations are imperfect - which I will readily concede?

                    • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 13:20

                      @mskeggs: I'm arguing against the application of that imperfect system to practically private transactions (vs commercial scale sale).

                      Regulation has its place and when people use it as a panacea, it is as much a problem as the problem it claims to fix.

                      • try2bhelpful on 21/03/2020 - 16:34
                        +1

                        @[Deactivated]: Food regulation is designed to keep us healthy. When it is compromised is when the issues occur. The system isn’t perfect but it is the breakdown of the system that causes the issues not the system itself. It is when some idiot doesn’t wash their hands properly, or sells dodgy meat, or stores it outside guidelines there is the issue. Food provision is not a “private” transaction it is subject to rules and regulations. We have an emergency situation, due to dodgy food practices, and you guys seem to want to make it worse.beds are about to become a premium, don’t make it harder to get one.

              • try2bhelpful on 21/03/2020 - 16:03
                +1

                @[Deactivated]: Mad cow happened because some idiot Government removed the need for properly treating meat byproducts fed to animals to remove the “red tape”. This is, exactly, my point. Do not compromise food safety for expediency.

        • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 13:45
          +1

          Bats carried the virus passed it to pangolins(or turtles or snakes) which passed it to humans through the wet market.

      • Eeples on 21/03/2020 - 13:10
        +1

        Should the govt keep out of wet markets too?

    • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 11:16

      Inspections are done by council.

    • RiseAndRuin on 21/03/2020 - 17:12

      The wet markets in China currently have plenty of stock going unsold, grab a bargain…

    • TheDolphin on 22/03/2020 - 09:35
      +1

      who cares? let them eat it leaves more real meat in the supermarket for us!

  • ihbh on 21/03/2020 - 09:41
    -1

    Seagull ;)

  • brendanm on 21/03/2020 - 09:50
    +2

    Maybe ibis. I think those bin chickens have a bit of meat on them.

  • Hithere on 21/03/2020 - 10:34
    +4

    Bats?

    • Switchblade88 on 21/03/2020 - 14:49
      +8

      Ah yes, the chicken of the cave

    • spackbace on 21/03/2020 - 15:12
      +2

      Joker?

  • Hardlyworkin on 21/03/2020 - 10:44

    The markets seem to be an option at this point. Queen Vic market in Melbourne had plenty of meat, eggs, fruit and veg from my experiences this week. Fortunately bat soup was nowhere to be seen.

  • DoctorArd on 21/03/2020 - 10:54

    If we still count alcohol as groceries I had a message last night from a friend of a wholesaler who is offering their product to individuals as they have excess stock due to restaurants closing.

    • serpserpserp on 21/03/2020 - 11:15

      Maybe they should put up a 90% off deal on OZB. That'll move a few units.

  • John Kimble on 21/03/2020 - 11:01
    -2

    Is this shop in the Mandarin Centre? Probably dog meat?

    • Eeples on 21/03/2020 - 13:11
      +1

      It would be in Lemon Grove more likely?
      (Downmarket).

  • Davo1111 on 21/03/2020 - 11:19

    wont be dog meat, not financially viable to cut up dogs in AU

    Meat for animals will be marked with green dye afaik

  • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2020 - 11:23
    +1

    Ruby Princess just docked.

  • Sage on 21/03/2020 - 12:08
    -2

    The chinese eat anything. Even native Australian animals such as wombats and koalas.

    • juzza87 on 22/03/2020 - 08:23

      Hopefully they get chlamydia from eating the Koalas.

    • TheOtherLeft on 22/03/2020 - 17:57

      Our first nations cousins eat them too. Ask the SA copper that was cleared of stoning a wombat to death as he is part aboriginal.

    • weee on 23/03/2020 - 09:58
      -1

      Chinese dont eat kangaroos, they keep them in the zoo, Aussies do though

  • stemcell on 21/03/2020 - 12:09

    Cheaper than burying the dead, ozbargain March winner

  • lette on 21/03/2020 - 15:20
    +1

    Wow the racism.
    They may just be a store doing click and collects. Through ichiba junction I can pick up from a Chinese store in the middle of an industrial area. It looks really dodgy, but it's normal. When I send my partner to pick up he has no idea what I've ordered I generally say oh some meat and noodles etc.
    I'd recommend googling grocery delivery, Asian food delivery, hell I even googled salted duck egg delivery (had a craving), fruit and veg delivery etc with your area attached. I've found so many small local places that deliver and some of them for free. All over the country.

    • try2bhelpful on 21/03/2020 - 16:01
      +3

      Then if it is a licensed butcher there shouldn’t be an issue. I don’t care what racial group is running this place I’m concerned that it is working outside its licensing remit. There is no harm in getting the authorities to confirm.

      • lette on 21/03/2020 - 16:05
        +1

        I meant more the dog comments, but you're 100% correct you should report anything you think is hinky. Better safe than sorry. My bad for not being very clear. Had just got up from a nap

        • try2bhelpful on 21/03/2020 - 19:07
          +1

          Not a problem. I was just clarifying my position.

          I doubt it is dog, but it might be pet food, for all we know. Pet grade meat is meant to be dyed green, but with the current insanity people might be cutting corners to make a buck. We aren’t “siege at Stalingrad” yet. Apparently we are even getting toilet paper back in the stores.

          Now is the time for people to try to keep themselves healthy. We don’t have spare capacity to waste it on people doing dumb things.

          • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2020 - 08:03
            +3

            @try2bhelpful:

            We don’t have spare capacity to waste it on people doing dumb things.

            And this is why you report them for not being licensed to sell meat.

  • kizzy on 21/03/2020 - 16:57
    +2

    Could it be reselling/profiteering of goods bought from Woolies or Coles?

  • lbsyc on 21/03/2020 - 18:51
    +1

    they are usually chat groups on Chinese social media Wechat selling bulkfood.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2020 - 07:55

    https://crimestoppers.com.au/

  • atrolgehapis on 22/03/2020 - 10:07

    I've been getting meat from wholesalers that sell to the public as well. Wholesale businesses are being destroyed as their restaurant business has dried up completely - they are happy to sell retail.

    • try2bhelpful on 22/03/2020 - 10:09

      They are licensed food sellers. Something to keep a look out for.

  • lindsayl284 on 22/03/2020 - 10:19
    +1

    I'll give a serious answer as my wife has bought meat this way a couple of times, although it was through an Asian grocery store not an Asian health food store.

    There is a whole other mini economy on wechat that most Aussies wouldn't know about. You can get all sorts of stuff, not just meat.

    My wife ordered some pork, it gets slaughtered on the farm and delivered directly to the Asian grocery store. She gets a message on wechat when it's ready to pick up. It is arguably fresher and better quality than the supermarket and bypasses the factory farming system.

    • try2bhelpful on 22/03/2020 - 10:24
      +1

      As long as it is all being done, legally, and with the right food handling processes then I don’t have a problem with this happening. I agree that slaughtering the animals, locally, would be better than transporting them in crowded trucks and stressing them out.

    • AS2035 on 22/03/2020 - 12:09
      +1

      Shopping from a butcher would insure that you know exactly where the meat comes from and if it's healthy.

      • lindsayl284 on 22/03/2020 - 13:16

        I should note that the packaging and credit card transaction was all directly linked to the farm. It all appeared to be a regular rural farm in Tynong run by locals. I'm not sure on the relationship between wechat and the farm though, I'll have to ask my wife. Perhaps there was some kind of entrepreneurial intermediary on wechat connecting consumers with the farm?

    • BillyG687 on 23/03/2020 - 10:17

      Are payments also going through WeChat, which means tax isn't being paid here in Australia?

      Sorry to sound harsh, but platforms like WeChat don't process payments here locally so even though the transaction is occurring here the money is being moved back and forth overseas.

      • lindsayl284 on 24/03/2020 - 10:07

        I'm not sure but it doesn't seem so. Our credit card was charged by the farm directly.

  • coolbzk on 23/03/2020 - 09:29

    click and collection

  • lltravel on 23/03/2020 - 09:57

    what a bunch of idiots. The world isnt ending. Yes we have some supply issues but no one is listening. I wouldn't listen to our idiot PM either but he was right about hoarding.

    People continue to panic for no reason and risking their health for a few week's supply of food.

  • striker5950 on 23/03/2020 - 10:47

    should have reported them

  • beautysnippets on 23/03/2020 - 11:56

    Could it have been a purchase from a butcher who only sells whole animals etc and so to share the cost, it's like a community buy?

    E.g. buying from here but one person only needs 1kg, another wants 4kg https://superbutcher.com.au/collections/grass-fed-beef-brisb…

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