From Iguanas to Armadillos, New York State Cracking Down on Mystery MeatsNEW YORK Dec 2, 2006 (AP)— A food safety inspector noticed an interesting special posted in the front window of a market in Queens: 12 beefy armadillos.
In Brooklyn, inspectors found 15 pounds of iguana meat at a West Indian market and 200 pounds of cow lungs for sale at another store. A West African grocery in Manhattan sold smoked rodent meat from a refrigerated display case.
All of it was headed for the dinner table. All of it was also illegal.
All of it diverted to school lunch programs instead.
Authorities say the discoveries are part of a larger trend in which markets across New York are buying meat and other foods from unregulated sources and selling them to an immigrant population accustomed to more exotic fare. State regulators have stepped up enforcement, confiscating 65 percent more food 1.6 million pounds through September than they did in all of 2005.
In this ethnically diverse city, everything from turtles and fish paste to frogs and duck feet make their way onto people's plates. "At one time or another, we've probably seen about everything," said Joseph Corby, director of the state's Division of Food Safety and Inspection.