Health Dept.: Homeless Can’t Eat Deer Meat

[Exterous]

Its large quantities of meat from a processing plant, sourced from mgmt programs and collections of hunters. Its not one guy bringing in a deer.

It is still individuals donating deer meat not a corporation selling meat. If you create a clearing house to sell meat from individuals then you must comply with USDA and/or FDA guidelines.

Again, think big scale here. If the dept is sanctioning this practice, then they are creating a precedent for all charities and shelters. This is outside the inspection and regulation system and becomes uncontrolled. These guys maybe a trustworthy bunch, but if the practice is allowed, it can/will expand and who knows where it goes. actually nobody knows because nobody is looking then.

Wait - are you trying to say that this plant wasn't inspected or regulated?

Although the meat was processed at a slaughterhouse (Bellevue) that is permitted by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture to prepare and commercially distribute meat obtained from approved farms

This is a license, inspected and regulated plant. This issue is not if the plant was inspected just that:

deer are not an approved meat source to be distributed

This has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with not being on a rubber stamp list

 

[Exterous]

I should note that a number of other states, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York just to name a few, seem to be doing just fine with their deer donation programs.

 

[rudder]

Just to be clear I am not saying deer meat is garbage. I am saying if it arrives without some kind of inspection it has to be assumed to be unsafe.

How do the other 6 billion people in this world that don't refrigerate everything survive? Cook it at the right temperature and voila the bacteria disappear.

But I guess you are correct... maybe we just send in that batch of canned corn from china. Should be safe enough.

 

[kage69]

Funny thing is that venison was likely much safer and better for you than mainstream beef (barring any spoilage)
I think it's funny that safety was cited, when today the FDA and USDA are neutered thanks to the "business over all else" mentality of our corporatist food industry. And that was before the number of inspectors was shrunk to absurd levels.

We need to have something set up at Outdoor Worlds, Cabelas, food pantries, whatever where a state certified inspector can OK meat donations. There are a lot of hunters out there more than willing to help out with hunger, their generosity shouldn't be wasted like that.



Anyway, I'll take elk over venison any day. Bison over beef easily.

 

[kage69]

How do the other 6 billion people in this world that don't refrigerate everything survive?

Curing, smoking, or eating immediately instead of storing.

Cook it at the right temperature and voila the bacteria disappear.

As I understand it, it's nowhere near that simple. Like it or not there are a lot of heat resistant pathogens out there, and all it takes sometimes is ever so slight undercooking to send someone to the hospital for 2 days. Or if you are a kid, the morgue. Campylobacter jejuni, if memory serves, is particularly good at surviving on grills and skillets.

The type of meat, strain of bacteria, temperature of storage, length of storage, just a lot of variables here. I'm with you on avoiding Chinese food stuffs though. I like their recipes, but I'll stick to Western produce and protein thanks.

Kitchen thermometers. Know'em, love'em, give'em away as presents.

 

[Juddog]

This entire thing is a bit ridiculous; let the homeless decide whether they want delicious venison versus being starving.

 

[sao123]

Utterly disgusting this agency is. Wasting 3200 meals for no reason whatsoever.

 

[Joepublic2]

The homeless should eat the health department instead.