Deer Meat Donated to Shreveport Shelter Destroyed by State Health Inspectors

[UPDATE] The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has issued a statement defending its decision, saying, "Because the meat was potentially unsafe, our health inspectors ordered it destroyed, in accordance with the law."

[ORIGINAL STORY] Hundreds of pounds of meat donated to a Shreveport shelter has been destroyed by health inspectors and many want to know why.

According to KTBS, deer hunters donated more than 1,500 pounds of venison to the Shreveport Rescue Mission which the Bellevue Meat Processing Plant in Haughton handled and packaged properly before delivering it to the Mission. However, State Health inspectors showed up at the mission last month and found the meat in refrigerators.

They promptly took all of the meat, threw it in dumpsters and poured bleach on it to make sure it was destroyed and not served to residents of the mission. It will cost more than $8,000 to replace the meat.

Many are asking why the meat was destroyed. Game meat is not regulated by the USDA and is therefore not allowed to be sold in local stores or donated for distribution to the public.