The shops are indeed clean, comfortable and hygienic. The meat are kept in controlled refrigerated environments and appear fresh, safe and professionally prepared.
An Xin promotes their meat as Pearl Pork (珍珠肉) which they claim are from accredited farms where the pigs are nourished with natural feeds that are free from beta agonist and antibiotics. They also boast of high quality control in their abattoirs and processes. You can watch their promo video here.
An Xin also offers what they call free range pork, which are from pigs that not confined in pig pens but are allowed to run free. They are not unlike ayam kampung. They claim that the meat is leaner and tastier. This free range pork is about 30% more expensive. I have tried the free range pork and very honestly, I cannot taste the difference and I do not think it is worth paying the extra for it.
Besides pork, the shops also sell pork related products like ham, bacon, roast pork, sausages and sweet meat. The roast pork in the shop are limited and do not look so good. I have tried their ham and bacon, and I did not think they were very good. There are definitely better ham and bacon in other shops. So I confine myself to just buying pork in An Xin.
I believe I do get some degree of comfort from their pork.
I have been buying pork exclusively from An Xin for more than a year now. I switched to the more expensive Free Range pork after they introduced it to the market last year. Thinking that I was giving the best to my two little ones. That was I thought until recently.
ReplyDeleteEarly this month, I bought a pack of pearl meat ball. There's a big fly caught in between the frozen meat balls. I complaint to the outlet and was asked to submit some photos. That's what I did. A week later, they told me that they didn't have my contact details. They asked for my contact number and house address. I only provided them with my handphone number. No reason for me to give my house address. Another week passed by and not even a call from them.
I'm not even asking for any monetary compensation. I have only demanded for an explanation from them. My wife was very upset as our kids had consumed quite a lot of these meat balls. This goes to show how professional and serious these people are. Can we really have the "Peace of Mind" as their slogan suggested? If a big fly can get caught in between the meat balls, you can imagine how dirty the factory can be.
I have since stopped buying any form of processed meat from An Xin. However, I'm still buying the Free Range pork from them. Now I'm not so sure that this Free Range pork is really that healthy. Is there a better alternative out there?
i didn't know there are such healthy pork ,thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletefree range pork or any meat exists for ethical reasons: by providing a healthy and natural environment for the animals to live to reduce suffering... not so much for for our preference for taste or health... the 30% extra paid is to ensure better well-being for the animals before they become our food.. I'm not promoting free range meat here, as meat is meat anyhow. However, have we thought about the animals when they are still alive? Just something to think about... Pigs are very smart animals (some studies showing them being smarter than dog). Confining them to a small space like a breeding pen is indeed a torture for them...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Jing. Thanks very much for your comment.
ReplyDelete