On January 14, Loretta Seto snapped photos with the caption: "We were at the 99 Ranch Market across from this Costco and saw their vendors delivering meat with Costco shopping carts!! Talk about disgusting! I'm usually okay with sticking kids in the seat of the basket, but this is a whole new level of gross. Beware." The post has been shared more than 2,220 times so far, with hundreds of comments.
According to NBC Bay Area, the meat vendor delivering the exposed meat was identified as Winston-based Jim's Farm Meat Co. Inc.
On Saturday, Maria Moon, office manager at Jim's Farm Meat, confirmed that the meat came from her company in an interview with The Modesto Bee.
She also said it's incomprehensible why the two employees — captured in the photos — removed the meat from the wrap and cardboard bins where meat is usually stored during delivery, unless 99 Ranch Market has bizarre guidelines on how meat is transferred into the store. She also confirmed that both employees were fired.
"We are thoroughly investigating the incident," Moon said. "This isn't anything we typically do. When we send our products out, they are always in a combo bin and wrapped. That's how it left our facility."
"Whatever [the two employees did] is nothing we would have approved," Moon added.
In a statement published recently by 99 Ranch Market, they wrote, "On behalf of 99 Ranch Market, we are terribly sorry for this incident that happened in one of our stores. 99 Ranch Market is committed to food safety and customer satisfaction. Therefore, we are taking the necessary steps to resolve this issue by investigating this case further and filing a complaint against our vendor. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Thank you for your patience and understanding."
The Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health is also looking into the incident, NBC Bay Area reported.
On Sunday afternoon, JPS Sierra Foods, Inc. trucks were parked inside the Jim's Farm Meat facility. However, according to Jonathan Sanchez, who works at JPS Sierra Food, his company never distributes from Jim's Farm Meats and only delivers products from national meat packers. He also clarified that his company only rents cooler space at Jim's Farm Meat facility and parks some of its trucks on the facility grounds.
"JPS Sierra Foods has nothing to do with Jim's Farm Meat," Sanchez told the Modesto Bee on Sunday.
Raw meat can cause serious illnesses. Listeria, a bacteria that can grow in uncooked meats, vegetables, soft cheese and unpasteurized milk, can develop into Listeriosis, a serious infection that causes fever and diarrhea, in those who eat contaminated food. Those most susceptible to getting Listeria include pregnant women, people 65 and older and people with weak immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other dangerous food-borne illnesses associated with improper handling of raw meat include e.coli, salmonella, and shigella, all of which can cause serious and potentially life-threatening infections.
