Orion Cold Storage, a Cape Town-based food distributor, has been caught red-handed lying about an extensive range of food products destined for shop shelves. Undercover footage recorded by an employee on his cellphone between February and August this year shows an employee “blessing” food as Halaal when it clearly isn’t.

An urgent interdict to prevent Muizenberg-based Orion Cold Storage, who supply retailers, wholesalers and members of the catering sector throughout central and Southern Africa, from altering information of products will go to the Cape High Court today.

The South African Meat Industry Company, the Red Meat Industry Forum and the South African National Halaal Authority Trust are extremely concerned about the extent of the problem and will be at court in full force.

The company has gone to some extraordinary lengths to rebrand food products that it sells on as Halaal, when there is no actual way they can be.

The list of products being rebranded is rather extensive: kangaroo meat is imported from Australia and then rebranded as chuck and blade beef.

Water Buffalo meat is being imported from India and being sold as A and B grade beef. Chicken is being imported from Spain, via a channel in The UK, and then being rebranded as Halaal.

Pork hearts are imported from Belgium and Ireland and original labels are removed with the product rebranded as sheep or beef veal hearts.

So, how does Orion make the products Halaal? An employee “blesses” it:

Employee one: “Wat maak julle nou hierso?”

Employee two: “Ons bless dit gou-gou [sic]”

Employee one: “Maak ons dit nou Halaal?”

Employee two: “Ons bless dit [sic].”

Employee one: “Bless jy dit?”

Employee two: “Sss-ja [sic].”

Employees can be seen using heat guns to remove and replace labels. New labels show that the meat is then a product of Australia, for example.

Have a look for yourself:

Orion director, Patrick Gaertner, is supplying these labels to his employees for the rebranding process.

Expiry date labels can also be seen being removed from frozen turkey meat, and then sold on to buyers as new.

Oh, they’re also rebranding non-food-grade milk powder meant for animals as skim milk powder fit for human consumption.

[Source: EWN]