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Police seize 1.6 tonnes of thawed meat bound for Ottawa grocery store

Police have charged a 41-year-old Toronto truck driver after seizing and destroying 1,600 kilograms of unrefrigerated meat destined for a specialty grocer in Ottawa.

The seizure happened at around 10:15 a.m. Thursday after an Ontario Provincial Police officer spotted an overloaded van heading east on Highway 401 near Mallorytown, Ont.

The van contained "unrefrigerated and thawed chicken and meat products," the OPP said in a release.

The meat was declared unfit for consumption and destroyed. Police have not revealed where in Ottawa the meat was heading.

The driver's van was also 1,700 kilograms over its registered weight, said OPP, and the driver had no commercial vehicle operator's registration, no pre-trip inspection, and no log book.

The van's tires were also overloaded for their rating, police said.

The driver faces four Highway Traffic Act charges, OPP said, as well as charges from the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit.

The investigation continues.