"Experienced Butcher Admits: 'When we see cancer in the pork, we just cut it and still sell it to customers.'"
It's the kinda Facebook post that makes you want to hit the angry button or even the share button to warn all your friends. But before you react, let's find out if it's true.
To verify, we went to a Meat Scientist with a Ph.D. and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Both agree the post is alarming.
"It's striking. We can understand where somebody would have some concerns," said Joe Reardon with the Ag Department.
But Meat Scientist Janeal Yancey felt the post was so misleading, she wrote a blog about why. She says the dark part of the meat in the picture isn't cancer. It's an abscess, basically a pimple inside the skin. The animal gets an infection, and their body walls it's off while it's healing itself. Still not something you want to eat.
"They will cut around and get the abbess plus. The meat around it," Yancey said. "But the rest of the meat supply should be safe to eat."
The State Department of Agriculture says that's because the meat is inspected before and after harvesting.
"If the inspection finds an issue they have an issue with then they bring in a veterinarian," Reardon said.
So if a butcher, an inspector or a veteran thought the meat was unhealthy for you, it would be thrown away long before hitting your dinner table. Meaning we can verify that post going around on Facebook is false.
If there's something else you think we should verify, let Ben Briscoe know on Facebook.
