Boner Meat “On Display" In British Shop

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 April 1949, Page 8

Boner Meat “On Display" In British Shop

[SPECIAL TO STAR] DUNEDIN, This Day.

Recent publicity in the London Daily Graphic concerning Australian and New Zealand boner meat will not react to the advantage of either country. The report stated that this meat —black, blue, green and grey in colour—exhibited at a certain butchers’s shopj was issued by the Ministry of Food for the people’s ration meat. “A crowd gathered round the window of 'a butcher's shop at Hove yesterday to see 1231 b of imported boneless meat —and they could hardly believe their eyes,” the published report stated.

“The general verdict was: ‘lt cannot be meat. It looks more like rags.’ The mangled ‘exhibit,’ grey, blue, black and green in colour, lay under a large notice which said: ‘The public must know! This is a sample of the beef purchased by the Minister' of Food and issued to all butchers for your ration.’ “Mr A. J. Coe, the butcher, explained: ‘The meat, chiefly from Australia and New. Zealand, is boned and packed into odd» corners of ships to save space. It would make sausages, but as part of the ration, it is disgraceful. It is so cut about one cannot possibly turn it into a joint. But our customers cannot blame us.’ ” When this article was referred to Mr J. E. D. Roberts, chairman of the meat and wool section of Otago Federated Farmers, he said there had been a definite breach of faith somewhere.

Boner meat came from old cows, and was sent Home by the Meat Board on the distinct understanding that it was not to be used as ration meat. It was stipulated that it had to be'used as processed meat only—that was, for sausages, etc. There was something radically wrong somewhere if the British public were asked to eat this a*s part of their rationed meat. The statement in the newspaper article that boner meat was packed into odd corners of ships to save space, thus implying that it was so much junk, was nonsense, said Mr Roberts.