"Consumers need to be cautious and skeptical of door-to-door sales of meat or seafood," said Sheriff Edwards.
"Don't let the salesmen in until you call my office and check," he said. "Try to get the individual's name and company name, if you can. Try to get the license number and note the model and make of the vehicle, if you can and call my office to check them out," the sheriff said. "Always report the incident and try to get a direction of travel if they leave before a deputy arrives. Some of these people are convicted felons. They dress them up and send them to people's houses to make sales. These people can't get other jobs. If you don't report them when they leave your house they will come to mine. Please report them so we can check them out."
Last week, a pair of men drove up to several houses in the western part of Greensville County and offered to sell frozen, vacuum-packed meat at 50 percent off retail.
While the product looked good and vacuum packed it was not refrigerated. It was in boxes sitting in the back of the pickup in the almost 90-degree heat.
The salesman said the meat should be refrozen and touted how lean the cuts of meat were.
He offered to sell the box, which contained five boxes of meat, including porterhouse steaks and ribeye steaks. The customer was leery of the offer and declined.
The salesman became irate and left and went to someone else's house. That customer was also leery of the salesmen and called the Greensville County Sheriff's Office.
When stopped by a deputy, it was discovered that not only were the salesmen selling without a business license in Greensville County, but also had two handguns in the truck. They did not have a concealed gun permit.
The Greensville County Sheriff's Office arrested the two men and are still investigating the case.
In Greensville County, a permit for selling wares is not issued until the fee is paid and the sheriff does a background check. If the person does not pass the background check, the permit is not issued.
In the city, you only have to pay the $500 fee to the Commissioner of Revenue's office; there is no background check.
You can check a company's reliability report with your Better Business Bureau.. Visit www.bbb.org or call 937-222-5825 or 800-776-5301.
Consumers with questions about buying meat can contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854.
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