Louisiana Forces Homeless Shelter To Destroy $8,000 Worth Of Deer Meat

[The Straight Story]

SHREVEPORT, La. (CBS Houston) — Louisiana’s State Health Department forced a homeless shelter to destroy $8,000 worth of deer meat because it was donated from a hunter organization.

KTBS-TV reports that the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission lost 1,600 pounds of venison because the state’s Health Department doesn’t recognize Hunters for the Hungry, an organization that allows hunters to donate any extra game to charity.

“We didn’t find anything wrong with it,” Rev. Henry Martin told KTBS. “It was processed correctly, it was packaged correctly.”

The trouble began last month after the Department of Health and Hospitals received a complaint that deer meat was being served at the homeless shelter. A health inspector went out and told the homeless shelter that deer meat was not allowed to be served and that is had to be destroyed.

http://houston.cbslocal.com/2013/02/25/louisiana-forces-homeless-shelter-to-destroy-8000-worth-of-deer-meat/

[Jenoch]

1. It seems rather draconian to force the

desctuction of the venison. I wonder who complained?

In Minnesota, the DNR has a program where hunters are able to donate deer to food shelves by bringing the whole deer to approved, state inspected meat processors.

[pipoman]

2. Hunters for the hungry

is a great program...regulation impeding progress again..

[Journeyman]

3. Best way to destroy it would be slow roasted over an open flame. . .

the residents of the shelter could then volunteer to help transform it into fertilizer.

[enough]

5. Wonderful idea, best meat in the world. (nt)

[lonestarnot]

4. So what's the beef with deers?

[Puzzledtraveller]

6. it's not horse

[lonestarnot]

7. It ain't pig either.

[HappyMe]

8. What jackasses.

When I lived in WI, a lot of people I know participated in the Hunters for the Hungry program. Those guys provided a lot of meat that people otherwise would not have.

[bhikkhu]

9. Lack of health controls over the slaughter and processing

...I live in deer country and talk to hunters every day. I'm not sure if its a majority, but plenty of them won't eat deer or elk meat if they didn't see it killed and processed themselves. Take too long between the kill and gutting it out, it will make you sick. Kill it with a gut shot and you're definitely taking your chances. Gut it out sloppy, or butcher it carelessly and you might get sick. Take too long to get it butchered...and so forth. There's plenty of ways to ruin good meat and plenty of ways to wind up sick or dead from eating bad meat.

At least in this corner of deer-country, I know a lot of guys who'd agree with the Louisiana Health Department - if you don't have any way of knowing, its not worth the risk. I think some of the objections come from people who only get their meat in sealed packages from the grocery store, and don't realize all the care and oversight that goes into making sure its safe to eat.