TEMPLE CITY, Calif. – A California woman called health authorities to complain about something she didn’t approve of in a Chinese food market, raccoon meat.
That’s right, a whole raccoon in a bag can be yours for a bargain $9.99 per pound at the Temple City, California, Metro Supermarket.
Employees told KCAL the animal is considered a delicacy in China.
However, not everyone is eager to try it.
Shopper Christina Dow told KCAL she was horrified when she stumbled upon several of the bagged raccoons.
“The way it’s packaged in the store, it’s so real, it’s so fresh,” Dow said. “You don’t see chickens’ feathers and blood all over them and their expression with their tongue hanging out.”
The Los Angeles County Health Department said selling the raccoons as food could be perfectly legal depending on where stores get the meat.
Health officials inspected the store and said the location will no longer sell the bagged animals until the department gives approval.
Legal or not, Dow said she wants it to stop.
“It’s terrible, it’s like a nightmare,” she said.
The LA County Health Department released a statement about the sale of raccoon in California:
“In general, a raccoon would be considered a game animal under the California Health and Safety Code and could be sold, as long as it is from an ‘approved source’ and not listed as an endangered or threatened animal by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife or is listed in 50 C.F.R. 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.”
