Want To Make Sure Your Meat Is Hygienic? Check These 5 Things While Buying Chicken From The Wet Market

In many Indian homes, buying chicken from the neighborhood wet market is part of the weekly grocery run, with the emphasis often on freshness. In fact, about 85% of poultry meat volume in India still moves through wet-market channels, according to the India Poultry Meat Market Report. Fresh cuts may catch your eye, but there is more to consider before you make your purchase.

 

Hygiene, storage, handling and transparency all contribute to the quality and safety of what finally ends up in your kitchen. Next time you buy chicken from a wet market, watch out for these five things.

 

Before you pick your chicken, take a quick look around the chicken shop to see if there is a visibly displayed FSSAI licence or registration number. This provides a basic level of accountability and implies the retailer is expected to follow applicable requirements around hygiene, storage and handling.

 

What to watch for: A visible FSSAI registration or license number. If you don’t see one, ask the retailer for details before you buy.

 

Water retention is a warning sign when buying chicken. Some moisture is normal but if the meat is unusually wet or dripping, it may have had water artificially added and this can affect the meat's texture, cooking performance and value for money.

 

Chicken that is unusually wet or dripping

 

Chicken that appears abnormally fat

Meat that shrinks a lot during cooking.

These signs don’t necessarily indicate water addition, but can help you identify chicken that may have retained too much water.

 

Have a look around the shop floor before you start talking to the shopkeeper. It should be clean, dry, well-drained and free of standing water, wastewater, sludge or waste in the vicinity of the chopping area.

Why it matters: Wet and dirty floors can encourage bacterial growth and raise the risk of cross-contamination where raw chicken is cut, weighed and packed.

 

If you stop for a second, you can see the handling practices. Look for staff that are clean, gloved or protective clothed, washing their hands between tasks and keeping knives, chopping boards, weighing scales and work surfaces clean.

 

Why it matters: Cross-contamination is possible from equipment and surfaces that come into contact with raw chicken if these are not cleaned properly. Also check that raw chicken is handled away from waste and dirty equipment, and stored appropriately when not being handled.

 

The display counter will tell you how seriously a retailer takes hygiene. Look for chicken meat that is covered and displayed with no flies around the counter and no visible dirt, waste or clutter nearby.

Why it matters: Openly displayed chicken can be more susceptible to contamination from insects and repeated handling. When buying chicken from a wet market, it’s important to look for a clean, covered display as this is an important hygiene precaution.