PINEVILLE, La. (KALB) – The China Queen Restaurant in Pineville is permanently closed as of May 11, according to a new sign on the door:
(KALB)
This comes after much controversy following a viral Facebook post on April 22 that accused the restaurant of being in possession of “roadkill.” The post claimed that an employee at the China Queen was seen skinning a dead animal. They also provided a photo of the alleged incident.
The Pineville Police Department investigated the complaints. At the restaurant, officers said they found evidence indicating that the dead animal was a deer. The deer had allegedly been collected after being found dead on the side of the road. Officers then investigated the restaurant’s freezer, where they found the deer carcass alongside other food that was allegedly supposed to be served to customers.
Following this, a sign was posted on the restaurant’s door, which stated:
“We apologize for the recent incident. The item involved was never intended to be served to customers, but it was improperly stored. It has been fully cleaned and sanitized. We are cooperating with health authorities and have corrected our procedures to ensure this does not happen again. Thank you for your understanding.”
(KALB)
The Louisiana Department of Health looked into the matter and reported that during their investigation, the claims were found to be valid, and an animal was removed from the premises in coordination with the appropriate agencies.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the facility voluntarily closed as requested, while a thorough cleaning and sanitization process was conducted in accordance with our public health regulations. Once thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, the establishment notified our inspectors and a follow-up inspection was conducted the next day. At that time, there was no indication of an existing public health risk and the establishment was allowed to reopen.”
LDH released its findings from its inspection on the day of the controversy, finding 31 health code violations, including but not limited to:
Food (the alleged deer) has been prepared, packaged, or held under unsanitary conditions where it may have been rendered injurious to health.Game animals are not received from an approved source.Ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food prepared on premises and held for more than 24 hours is not date-marked. (Listed as throughout the restaurant)Food was not served or discarded within four hours from when the food was removed from temperature control.The cutting board, food preparation, or other food contact surface was not washed, rinsed, and sanitized following contact with raw animal food or raw vegetables, and before contact with ready-to-eat foods. (Blood was noted as the contamination)Raw animal foods with different cooking temperature requirements are not separated to prevent cross-contaminationRoaches were found at the restaurantFrozen food is not kept frozenFood is not stored in a clean, covered container. (Labeled as throughout the restaurant)Non-food contact surfaces of equipment have an accumulation of dust, dirt, and food residue (Labeled as throughout the restaurant)Floors are not clean (Blood was found on the floor)
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