grave matter

[jesus4ever]

i sold half a chicken to a customer. the half i gave her was on show longer then the standard 4 hours it should be kept. as i picked it up and gave it to her it came to my mind and deciding what i should do. the half chicken still looked ok to eat but i should of gave her a fresher one instead or at least reduced it for her.

i knew this as i gave it to her but said nothing and gave her the chicken i know i did wrong but i didn’t want to look like it was my fault the half was still on show. i know i should of done the right thing and cut a fresher on for her but didn’t

do any of you think this is grave matter. half a chicken is $5.75 here in australia.

 

[divinefaith]

I dont consider this grave.

 

[PiousTemplar]

Did you intentionally try to steal money off her? I don’t think this is grave if you were just worrying.

 

[Bearontherun]

Sorry this is not the answer you probably want to hear.

People can get serious and potentially fatal food borne illnesses from chicken that has been left out too long. Food handling is serious business because you have other people’s health in your hands.

I would say it is definitely grave matter.

 

[JRKH]

Bearontherun makes a very good point. You don’t say how much over the 4 hours this item was and I know that (at least in the US) the “sell by” dates allow for a safety margin. However, the woman had a right to know that the meat had been exposed longer than strictly allowed so that she could decline it in favor of something fresher or accept the markdown and make sure is is thoroughly cooked.

I’m sorry to be blunt here, but to me your act was foolish and reckless, and you should do two things. First pray for the safety of the person(s) eating this meat and second talk the matter over with your confessor in more detail.

Peace
James

 

[divinefaith]

Sorry this is not the answer you probably want to hear.

People can get serious and potentially fatal food borne illnesses from chicken that has been left out too long. Food handling is serious business because you have other people’s health in your hands.

I would say it is definitely grave matter.

Good point. But as Pious Templar said, if he was too worried than maybe it would
be a venial sin.

And yes tell your confessor

 

[Newbie2]

Not grave matter.

IF you knowingly sold some meat that you KNEW was going or was bad, yeah, grave matter. IF you had no clue as to what meat looks like or smells like, still not grave matter, methinks, although there is some grey area here. IF the meat was WAY over expiration (e.g. 24 hours) even though it looked OK, yeah, grave matter.

If it was a couple hours and the meat was kept refrigerated, venial matter at worst.

Bacteria don’t carry watches.

Errors in judgment don’t always equate to sin. Methinks this is a “grey area” case. Confess it, learn from it, don’t do it again. Ta da.

 

[JRKH]

Ohhh didnt think of that. Good point. But as Pious Templar said, if he was too worried than maybe it would be a venial sin.

The real question here is whether we should try to “Label” this at all.
The sin is in failing to lone another, a neighbor and customer, as yourself. The second most important commandment.
The severity of the sin we cannot tell for we don’t have full information and can only speculate. For instance, if the meat was on display for 4:15 minutes, it’s unlikely that there is any serious problem. If the meat was on display for 6 or 7 hours - that is an entirely different matter.
In any case, I’m sure that as a customer he would wish to be told the facts (the loving thing) and so should have treated his customer as he wished to be treated. He should have mentioned the matter to the customer and offered fresher meat or a reduction in price (since that is apparently allowed).

Peace
James

P.S. If jesus4ever is female, please pardon the use of male pronouns.

 

[Garyjohn2]

I don’t think it’s grave. Especially if the chicken looked/smelled fine.

 

[JRKH]

Obviously the varying opinions suggest that you need to talk to your confessor…

Peace
James