99 Ranch Market Under Investigation After Photos Of Exposed, Raw Meat In A Cart Go Viral

UPDATE 2/1 : According to Uproxx, the 99 Ranch’s meat distributor, Jim’s Farm Meat, is investigating the matter as well, and have fired the two men pictured. Jim’s added that their meat is typically wrapped and put in a combo bin, so they are trying to find out how they became unwrapped in the photos.

UPDATE 1/30: The USDA is now investigating the photos, and is working with local authorities to find out what was going on with the pork delivery, according to SF Gate. 

When I worked at a Ralphs Grocery store many, many years ago, it was a shithole 9-to-5, but at least food safety standards were always met. Bosses would crack down on the food departments if anything wasn’t up to code, and secret shoppers kept us honest.

I don’t know what the safety regulations are at 99 Ranch Market, but they were not subtle about the gross meat delivery to a San Jose location last week.

Facebook photos by customer Loretta Seto showed a couple of people delivering exposed meat in a grimey shopping cart. They weren’t pre-packaged cuts being transported straight from a refrigerated truck in the back, they were raw pieces of pork rubbing up on shopping carts, and being brought in through the front door.

Not only is this a hazard to the people consuming this meat, it’s a hazard to the people using those shopping carts later on.

The carts were reportedly from a Costco across the street, and the Costco said they have sanitized every one of their carts since they got word of the incident, according to CBS Sacramento.

A 99 Ranch representative said they are investigating the matter, and filed a complaint to the meat vendor.

Things like this make you wonder just how sanitary our local grocery stores really are.