A health inspector in Colorado is coming under fire after pouring bleach on the food of an unlicensed taco stand.
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Someone recorded the interaction and posted it online. In the video, an inspector with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) poured a gallon of bleach onto open containers of food. Two inspectors were at Tacos Tacolorado last Saturday.
This left some viewers outraged. However, a city spokesperson said the taco stand had several citations against it. Inspectors were concerned about public health.
“The vendor has been operating without a required business license and has repeatedly failed to follow essential food safety practices,” Amber Campbell, DDPHE’s public information officer, told Daily Mail.
Health Inspector Backlash
She added, “Investigators observed unsanitary food storage and preparation conditions, no reliable method to keep food at safe temperatures—conditions that can lead to foodborne illness—and the unsafe use of heating devices like propane, which pose additional safety hazards to both the vendor and the public.'”
According to the agency, the taco stand had five previous citations against it. As such, inspectors confiscated “food products that pose a potential health risk.” Additionally, the taco stand allegedly just packed up and changed locations previously after being cited.
As such, the inspectors wanted to “ensure food could not be packed, stored, and resold.”
She continued, “Using bleach or other additives is a standard public health practice intended to prevent illness and protect unknowing future consumers. These actions are never taken lightly and are only used after multiple attempts at education and voluntary compliance.”
However, public perception about the incident is quite severe. Several users took to social media to cry foul about pouring bleach on the Mexican food.
“Doing this to Mexican food should bring life in prison,” one wrote.
Another wrote, “They didn’t confiscate it and remove it. Instead they poisoned it with a little bleach. That is about as dumb as it gets.”
And another wrote, “Poisoning food is a crime worse than selling food.”
In response to the backlash, the agency shared images of how the taco stand was storing food. It showcased food being improperly stored and posing a risk to health.Â