Alleged: Atlantic City, NJ, Mayor Gave Away Expired Meat

On the day before Atlantic City, New Jersey Mayor Marty Small will be appearing in criminal court before Judge Bernard McLury … Small has allegedly given Atlantic City employees packaged meat that expired on February 14, 2024.

When this was first brought to my attention, I thought it had to be a joke or prank of some kind.

Atlantic City Citizen activist John Exadaktilos posted about this situation on his Facebook page earlier today.

Exadaktilos wrote:

This is a public safety announcement. If you receive this package today from the Mayor, do not eat the turkey. No one is safe. It is a disgusting foul and unresponsible thing he did. Turkey meat, especially when it's cut for lunch meat. There's no good after six months. We are well over a year and a quarter. This is what we have for leader ship a man trying to poison the public trying to get votes in this year's election, wrote Exadaktilos.

Exadaktilos is a restauranteur, the long-time owner of The Ducktown Tavern in Atlantic City.

I reached out to a member of the Atlantic City Council for comment. The member confirmed that the Mayoral packaged meat giveaway did occur.

The Council Member shared legitimate concern that the City of Atlantic City will experience liability if any employees become ill after consuming the expired meat.

I did some research about freezing meat. There is conflicting data on this subject.

Heathline says:

From a safety perspective, deli meat frozen at a minimum of 0°F (-18°C) will keep indefinitely. At this temperature, microbes and other pathogens that can cause food poisoning are kept dormant, which means they don't multiply. Therefore, as long as it is handled, stored, and thawed correctly, deli meat can be safe to eat even after very long periods of frozen storage.

Heathline.

According to the USDA:

2-year-old frozen meat is generally considered safe to eat as long as it has been stored at a consistently low temperature (0°F or below), although the quality may decline significantly over time and it might develop freezer burn; meaning it's technically safe but may not taste as good as fresher meat.

Following all of the information about the safety of freezing lunch meats, there was this recommendation:

The quality of the meat can deteriorate over time, even in a freezer. It is not recommended to eat meat that has been in a freezer past its expiration date, as it can pose a food safety risk. Eating expired meat can cause foodborne illness, which can result in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.

I had a very positive conversation that I had) with James Kennedy from Brody International, who provided the frozen turkey to Atlantic City. He told us the following:

Over the years in the food industry you often are left with overages and extra product. A few times a year we look to donate to the less fortunate and hopefully feed those in need. This year we reached out to our local and neighboring food banks who never answered or returned our calls. Our next thought was to reach out to the mayor and see if he could help lend a hand. He answers the call. "This is normal practice of the food industry and the usda does state that 2 years plant frozen is acceptable." Most of our products are bought frozen that's why we are able to give the community such great pricing, said Kennedy.

Here are John Exadaktilos photos:

John Exadaktilos photos.