An ordinary cooking process took an alarming turn at an eatery in Paikgachha, Khulna, when beef reportedly turned green in the pot, prompting workers to take the food to a police station.

The unusual incident sparked speculation in the area. Some suspected adulteration or contamination, while others suggested that a chemical reaction during cooking may have caused the meat to change colour.

According to local residents and police, employees of Modern Bakery noticed the unusual colour change while cooking beef. Alarmed, they first took the pot of cooked meat to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO). Following his advice, they later went to Paikgachha Police Station with the pot.

Paikgacha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zulfiker Ali told The Daily Star, “They showed us the meat on Wednesday and then left with the pot. A few journalists were also present at the time.”

Billal Hossain, an employee of the bakery, said, “Surely some chemical was mixed with the meat or there was some kind of poisoning. Later, we threw the meat away.”

The incident has also raised questions about possible contamination during the cooking process.

Md Mokhlesur Rahman, food safety officer at the Khulna district office of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, told The Daily Star that there must be some problem with the process of cooking the meat.

“It is not known whether there was any chemical in the cooking pot used at the bakery, or whether a reaction occurred through contact with any chemical. This can be determined through testing,” he added.

He said the remaining meat had been collected from the meat seller, Ismail Hossain, and would be sent to a laboratory in Dhaka for chemical analysis.