Having TSC Dora (located inside City Mall) very close to my workplace, I got used to passing by it on my way back home to buy my groceries and take advantage of the crazy offers they do every now and then.
Few weeks ago I wanted to buy some entrecote steak, so I went there and just asked one of the butchers for what I wanted. He proceeded with picking one of the vacuum packages, opening it, and cutting the meat on one of the table, but just as he started working with the meat he grabbed a large portion of it, smelled its odor and directly threw away the whole package. I immediately concluded that the meat must have been rotten from the expression on his face, still I made sure to ask him as he approached the refrigerator to pick another package and he confirmed the meat was bad.
The meat refrigerator at TSC Dora
I disregarded what happened and said to myself it might happen anywhere… but I got really surprised when the same thing happened when he picked the second package and threw it away, and AGAIN with a third package! As he picked the fourth one, he opened it right in front of me, smelled it and said “This one is OK”, but I insisted to check its odor by myself, and turned out it was really ok. I was a bit hesitant about continuing to buy the meat, but then just told him to proceed and give me 2 Kilos. Note that the packages were all refrigerated and had the very same color.
Few days ago, I went to get some rib cutlets, and that’s when I got shocked. As usual after getting my order, the butcher proceeded to pick one of the packages and went to his table. He opened the bag, and this time directly smelled the meat and threw it away!!! He approached the refrigerator and picked another package without giving me any explanation, so I just called him and told him to disregard my order. I wasn’t ready to risk my health again!
The first time it happened I just assumed it might be a bad coincidence, but turned out it’s a recurring thing at TSC! And by observing how the butchers were behaving, it seemed like they’re very used to encountering rotten meat while working.
And I’m not the only one who’s complaining about it, I did a quick search on Google for reviews on the meat at TSC, and found that the same thing happened to Samer almost 2 years ago. The funniest thing about his experience was when the customer service personnel told him he’s ready to cook the meat and eat it as a proof that it doesn’t cause any harm!
Needless to say this is so wrong on all levels, and I hope the people in charge at TSC can read this post or Samer’s to implement the necessary controls on their meat before making it to the shelves for people to buy.
My experience probably poses the issue of food safety in Lebanon in general and not at TSC only. I happened to be one of their regular customers, but the same thing might be happening at Spinney’s, Le Charcutier Aoun, Abi Khalil, COOP… or any other place! Which is scary indeed…
Tabban!!
About a month ago..I spent a weekend vomiting after I ate one of their Salmon Club sandwiches..Bought it from the one in DT though not Dora
I’m so shocked! We bought Filet from there yesterday! Now I’m too scared to cook it đ
Thanks for the heads-up – will avoid that in future!
Thanks for bringing this up, just want to say that I work at TSC and we are VERY careful when buying Fresh products (Meat, Chicken, Fish, produce, fruits…) we will be definitely looking into this and promise to take action about it immediately but you should know that as a regular customer, your voice is definitely heard and will be acted upon. Thanks for your blog
this is bullshit we always buy from TSC and it is very clean, you can put any pic you want from anywhere and say it is from TSC… what is your proof
You’re lucky the dude threw it away, bas think of all the pre-cut and pre-packaged stuff! Buying groceries and vegetables from supermarkets and chains is just suicidal!
Isn’t there a way this can be reported to some ministry or municipality or police or some kind of organization. I know this is Lebanon, but quand meme, there must be something that can be done. Great that you have pointed it out!!! đ
@Sareen
My experience doesn’t necessarily imply that all their meat is bad… notice that I did buy the steak I wanted although some packages were bad. So your filet might be just perfect, it’s smell and color should tell.
@Rana
I’m glad you took my post positively! I hope you enforce the controls as soon as possible.
@mike
I of course am not turning this blog into a propaganda machine!
@Mich
Well I’m satisfied it reached one of their staff đ
Dear All,
It is our right AND duty, as Customers, to spread the word, to raise our voice, but also to solve the issue, in order to help other Consumers!
I suggest that you call Consumers Lebanon, the NGO, at 01 750 650 and you can be assured that your voice will be heard. They usually go and check the defective product in the supermarket directly and contact the appropriate parties to give them a deadline to remove the expired/rotten products (according to the Consumers law). Then, they go check again if it has been done. If not (usually the supermarket does remove the goods), they contact the local Municipality, which are much active than you would think…
In a word, keep spreading the word AND ACT, by contacting Consumers Lebanon.
Have a nice day.
also, try to keep the receipt like Samer did in 2008. This is the proof that you need to be reimbursed, it is your RIGHT.
and if you can provide this additional proof to Consumers Lebanon (the receipt or the expired/rotten product, it will be even more helpful.
If not, be assured that Consumers Lebanon will still follow-up on your issue.
Take care.
Absolutely agree! Consumers Lebanon is there for exactly this kind of situation.
I recently had a similar situation happen to me at TSC Ashrafeyeh; bought some chicken thighs, and once i got home, and got ready to wash them…I opened the packages and a horrible smell came out of all 3 packages I had bought!?!
So I took back the chicken to TSC (with the receit in hand); the first guy said “I can’t smell anything…..you’re wrong”….then I complained some more, another guy came and agreed to exchange it for me…allthough he didnt’ really seem convinced nor concerned!?! So, I still informed ConsumersLebanon who said they were actually following up on this issue and they sent me the link to this and other articles…….
The thing is; we (Lebanese and/or Arabs) have the tendency of not fighting for our basic rights….a lot of people would have just thrown it out and bought something else, without complaining or informing the proper authority..Then, what happens is that the suppliers/ supermarkets don’t make any effort to comply with basic health regulations and don’t worry about the consumer…
Rotten meat at a supermarket is a huge issue and should not be taken lightly. You should always return to the supermarket immediately (or at least make sure to make a complaint at a later time); always making sure you have the receipt with you)…and if they don’t collaborate, appologise, or admit to the problem, then don’t hesitate for a second to file a complaint with ConsumersLebanon….
If nobody calls them…then they can’t really do anything about it can they!?!
The same goes for any consumer or health related issue that concerns you….if its happening to you…
it might be happening to a lot of other innocent people who could get seriously sick and die without proper medical care
check out their website and check them out of Facebook as well:
http://www.consumerslebanon.org/
Dear Customers,
We as TSC representatives would like to take this opportunity and thank you all for shopping at our stores; however we assure you that such concerns do gladly take a large deal of our managements attention as it only allows us to perform better and rise up to our valuable customerâs expectations.
We assure you that our meat quality has been and will always continuo to be premium opposed to whatâs being offered in the market and up to the highest known standards.
Just like any other retailer in Lebanon, we donât own a slaughterhouse thus the meat that we sell is either legally imported or locally purchased from credible known sources, over and above be sure that all is tested and expiry dates are being closely monitored daily for quality and safety assurance, such individual incidents never defines the organizationâs direction or promise.
Dears, kindly note that we proudly serve out of our stores a total of 9000+ valuable customers every single day ď we wouldnât take guests lives & health safety lightly at any cost under any circumstances.
For any suggestions or complaints feel free to call us on our Hotline at 01 905805
Best Regards,
TSC Hotline
I once bought spaghetti and bulgur from
TSC citymall and all the packages were full of bugs, it was disgusting! I complained, but they didnt return my call until four or five months later, she asked if I kept the packages and receipts to get my money back but it had been so long I threw them out, I didn’t wanna keep bug infested food in my house, it was horrible! Bad products, never buy tsc brands!
When I left the family house and went to live in my own apartment I started to buy my meat from TSC, it looked OK and smelled OK – but I could not but notice the big difference between the meat I ate at my mother’s house and their meat. It is different as per freshness and taste. So from few weeks ago, I stopped buying meat from TSC and now my mom has the task of buying me meat for the week from the local butcher.