State officials are stepping in after hearing of the news that the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals destroyed deer meat at the Shreveport Bossier Rescue Mission last month.

On January 28th, the DHH received a call about a complaint that deer meat was being served at the mission.  After an inspection, a state employer concluded that the venison had to be destroyed and doused it in clorox bleach.

Since KTBS first reported the incident last week, it has received a lot of attention.  So much so that now several state agencies are getting involved.

This afternoon a press conference was held at the Rescue Mission to discuss the matter.  State Representative Jeff Thompson, as well as representatives from the LA Department of Agriculture and Forestry and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries attended the event.

Representative Thompson says that while the DHH had the right intentions, that they went overboard when destroying the venison.

"Through an act of what appears to be over zealous interpretation of the codes in an attempt to have food safety as a priority which it should be, we had a lot of food go to waste," said Thompson.

Officials with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry say they will bring up a solution to the matter when the legislature convenes in March.

"Together we're going to craft legislation that will permit the donation of deer and other proteins that can be processed and donated to facilities just like this," said Dr. Mike Strain, Commissioner with the LA Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

While the codes and ordinances will still be worked out, plans to replace the meat moved forward.

Foster's Farm in Farmerville is planning to donate 1,400 pounds of chicken to the Rescue Mission.

The Louisiana Cattleman's Association also presented the Rescue Mission with a $750 check to help replace the destroyed meat.