Risk of infection from poultry slaughtering services at the market.

(Baonghean.vn) - Many housewives still buy and slaughter poultry right at the market, but in reality, many slaughterhouses do not ensure safety, posing many risks of unsanitary conditions and disease outbreaks.

Ms. Binh, a poultry vendor at Quang Trung Market in Vinh City, said that she sells and slaughters 70-100 chickens and ducks daily. During holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), the number can double or triple. Hundreds of chickens and ducks are slaughtered and then dipped together in a pot of water that has been boiled from morning until evening, resulting in a thick, black, murky liquid. After plucking the feathers, the chickens and ducks are dipped back into the dirty water one more time to tighten their skin and make them look more appealing.

The chickens were slaughtered right on the dirty cement floor.

"After cleaning the chicken and dipping it in boiling water, the skin becomes plump and looks more appetizing," said a chicken butcher at Quang Trung market.

Quang Trung Market has about 20 businesses, like Ms. Binh's, that slaughter poultry. Chickens and ducks are kept in large cages, and after customers choose a chicken they like, the seller will slaughter it on the spot. Ms. Hoa, a housewife in Le Mao ward, said: "I see that the chicken slaughtering at the market isn't very clean, but it's convenient, so I often buy chicken and have it slaughtered right away."

The chicken was dipped in a pot of murky black water.

The main source of water for washing is pumped from wells right at each stall, making it very dirty. The pumped water is often cloudy and yellowish. Meanwhile, chicken, duck, and offal are mixed together and placed on a thin cement floor close to the ground; dirty water and poultry waste are everywhere, and the stench is always strong. Poultry slaughtered at the market looks unsanitary even to the naked eye, let alone disease control.

In many markets in Vinh City, such as Quan Lau, Doi Cung, Vinh Train Station Market, Cua Bac Market, etc., the situation of selling and slaughtering live poultry simultaneously without ensuring food safety and hygiene is similar.

Even without testing, it's clear to the naked eye that poultry slaughtering at markets is currently very unsanitary. (Photo taken at Hung Thong Market, Hung Nguyen District)

Vinh City has 13 markets, each with 10-20 households engaged in poultry slaughtering. More than 20 tons of chicken and duck are slaughtered daily at these markets. This unsanitary poultry slaughtering is not only happening in Vinh City markets but also in some rural markets such as Hung Nguyen and Nghi Loc, where chickens and ducks are being slaughtered right in the market, posing a significant risk of food safety and disease transmission, negatively impacting the livelihoods of farmers near the markets.

Thanh Tam