The mystery surrounding beef turning green during cooking in Khulna's Paikgacha remains unresolved with prompting health authorities to seize meat samples for laboratory testing.
The bizarre incident occurred on July 22 when employees of a local business Modern Bakery, purchased 4 kg of refrigerated beef from a market vendor named Ismail Hossain. According to bakery chef Titon Hossain Rakib, the meat suddenly turned green while being cooked in a pan. The buyers suspect the vendor used harmful chemical preservatives to store the meat.
Conversely, vendor Ismail Hossain firmly denied the allegations. He stated he had stored 15 kg of meat in his refrigerator and sold it to multiple customers with cooking some for his own guests. Since no one else reported any discoloration Hossain suspects the issue stemmed from the bakery's cooking environment, ingredients or spices.
With buyers and sellers blaming each other that the incident has gone viral on social media and triggering widespread panic over local food safety.
To uncover the truth, Upazila Sanitary Inspector and Food Safety Officer Uday Kumar Mondal intervened. "We have seized samples of both the cooked and raw meat and informed the District Food Safety Authority. It is impossible to determine the real cause without a comprehensive lab report" Mondal stated.
Currently no formal police complaint has been filed. However, community leaders and local residents are urging the authorities to expedite the lab tests to alleviate public fear and ensure accountability in the local meat market.
