An Asian market in the Los Angeles area is under investigation for selling whole frozen raccoons to consumers as food.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department was notified by a shopper after she discovered the raccoon carcasses in the market’s frozen food section, located next to the fish and meat. The raccoons were wrapped in clear plastic bags with all of their eyes, teeth, whiskers and fur fully intact. At $9.99 a pound, they were being sold for about $54 each.
Investigators from the Health Department confiscated the raccoons. According to the California Health and Safety Code, raccoons are considered a game animal and their meat can be sold as food if it comes from an approved source.
Raccoons are considered a delicacy in China and the market’s owner claims to have sold frozen raccoons for years without any issues. All sales of this meat have been stopped, pending results from the investigation.
Myself, I wouldn’t be all that shocked if I saw a market selling exotic meats. We all like different things – it’s what makes us diverse. But whole animals in clear plastic bags? Can you imagine going to Ralph’s market and seeing whole frozen chickens or turkeys, with feathers and all, in clear plastic bags? You and I know that that would be a big turn-off for a lot of people.
The big thing that I’m anxious to learn is where these raccoons came from. Did they come from a special farm or from a wilderness area? Please tell me that these weren’t rabid or worm-infested raccoons caught behind the store while they were eating out of trash dumpsters. In other words, are they safe to eat? Wouldn’t we all feel better about this if we saw an inspection sticker from the USDA on the package?
