Alabama’s Raw Meat Vending Machine.

Everyone’s used to the tiny bags of chips, old candy, and soda found in the common vending machine, but two Alabama businessmen have cooked up an idea for one that sells raw meat.

The Smart Butcher allows you to use cash or debit cards to purchase small packages of raw meat. The meat vending machine carries everything from steak to sirloin tips to sausages all for under $6. The first model has been set up in a convenience store and although the store touts the Smart Butcher’s popularity, many are concerned about bigger issues, like food poisoning. 

Adriana over at The Stir weighs in about the likelihood of the SmartButcher being a giant bacteria dispenser:

“So here’s how I see this going down. Smart Butcher people tell convenience store owners what temperature to keep the vending machines, but the message doesn’t get to all the clerks because half of them are goofy high-school students or underpaid, disgruntled adults. Or, the machine’s refrigeration starts to slip ever so slightly and no one notices because checking it isn’t part of the routine. Or, the convenience store gets some contaminated meat but figuring out where it came from after people get sick becomes impossible.”

I have to agree here. Whether you eat meat or not, getting some out of a vending machine at a gas station does seem a bit risky but it is also not really a new concept. They have meat vending machines in Spain and Asia already and even the U.S. Senate has one that sells hotdogs.