Colorado health officials appeared to pour bleach into a taco vendor’s food last weekend, according to a video posted on social media. Two health officials approached the Tacos Tacolorado stall in Denver on Saturday evening and asked for the food to be destroyed, The Denver Post reported. When the vendor placed some of the food back into a vehicle, one of the officials poured bleach into the remaining food on the stall, Emily Williams, a spokeswoman for the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE), told the outlet. We could not independently verify the video. Why It Matters The Denver Post reported that the vendor had previously been cited and had food destroyed for failing to follow certain food safety rules, according to inspection reports. Failing to follow food safety rules increases the risk of foodborne illnesses in consumers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people (one in six) in the U. S. get sick, 128, 000 are hospitalized and around 3, 000 die each year from foodborne diseases. What To Know The video, posted on TikTok and X, seemingly shows a health official pouring what appears to be bleach into various buckets of food, including onions, limes, and guacamole. The incident was reported to have taken place near the crossroads of Evans Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, in the south of Denver. The Denver Health Department provided photos to The Denver Post showing improper food storage and a thermometer placed in meat with a reading of 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Danica Lee, Denver’s director of the public health investigations division, told the outlet that the vendor had been contacted twice by health inspectors in October and issued with cease-and-desist letters over sanitation and food temperature concerns. She added that the food was prepared in a residential rather than a commercial kitchen. More than 145 pounds of food were thrown away during the two incidents in October, and the Tacos Tacolorado staff cooperated with the health officials, the DDPHE said. What People Are Saying Lee told The Denver Post regarding the use of bleach: “It is a tool that we use not really often, because we prefer to use different methods, but from time to time, it is necessary.” She added, according to local news outlet Westword: “Foods were not at the right temperature. There was no sanitizing solution available. The equipment was not effective for keeping foods at the right temperature.”.
https://www.newsweek.com/colorado-officials-pour-bleach-taco-vendor-food-denver-11074301
