Council launches probe after ‘takeaway worker is caught preparing raw chicken in an alleyway using a BLOWTORCH’
- Footage appears to shows an employee running a blowtorch over raw chicken
- Food safety officers from Middlesbrough Council have been to visit the site
Shocking footage appears to show a takeaway worker preparing raw chicken with a blowtorch in an alleyway behind a shop in Middlesbrough.
The clip, which has been shared on social media, appears to show a man using the torch to grill the chickens placed on a trolley near a large bin.
At the bottom of the trolley, someone at the unnamed eatery had placed a piece of cardboard, thought to be there to catch any liquid from the meat.
The person who filmed the video can be heard shouting ‘f*****g hell, I’m not eating that’, as he walks by a man holding the blowtorch connected to a propane gas tank.
In a second clip, pieces of chicken can be seen in a shopping trolley nearby.
A food outlet worker appears to be preparing raw chicken using a blowtorch in an alleyway
Some suggested that using the blowtorch was a means of removing the feathers from the chicken
Middlesbrough Council has been informed and it was understood environmental health experts were looking into the videos.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the video circulating online and are looking into the matter.
‘As a matter of course we expect all food processes to be carried out in a safe and hygienic manner.’
Social media users have been commenting on the video.
One said: ‘How can people put [their] trust in takeaways after seeing this.’
Another added: ‘So glad I’m vegan! This is disgusting.’
Some have suggested that using the blowtorch was a means of removing feathers from the chicken, with one writing: ‘I think he’s singeing the skin to remove any stray feathers prior to preparing it for cooking.’
Plucking a chicken by hand only removes the larger feathers. Smaller ones can be removed by passing a blowtorch quickly over the meat without bursting the skin.