Inspectors don't find problems at WalMart

OXFORD — A Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry investigation at the Oxford WalMart found no reason why a South Paris woman would have found maggots in chicken she says she purchased at the location.

"We couldn't find any explanation for how the maggots got in at the retail level," said Steve Giguere, acting director of the department of quality assurance at the ACF.

Last week, on Tuesday, August 28, Deena Tracy posted a video on her Facebook page she said showed an infestation of maggots in a bucket of chicken she purchased at the Oxford WalMart.

Contacted by phone last Wednesday, Tracy said she purchased the chicken two hours before finding the insects.

She and her daughter had already eaten some of the chicken before making the startling discovery, she said.

According to Giguere, cook records from the WalMart were up to date and all cooking, cleaning and storage procedures were also followed appropriately.

The inspection report, dated August 30, notes that the chicken comes into WalMart frozen.

The chicken is then fried to an internal temperature of 192 degrees before being transferred to a warming display where it is stored at 140 degrees for four hours.

After four hours any unpurchased chicken is disposed of.

According to the report, information from an ACF Entomologist and Cornell University indicate that fly eggs hatch between 12 and 24 hours after being laid.

The report notes that fly eggs are unlikely to be present on frozen chicken and would be probably not survive the high heat of cooking and storing the chicken.

Giguere says the Department carries out annual inspections of the WalMart and to his knowledge there has never been a problem at the location.

Contacted by phone last Wednesday, WalMart spokesperson Kayla Whaling said an additional inspection by a third-party pest management firm found "no cause for concern," at the Oxford location.

"We're committed to offering safe quality food," Whaling said.

"We ... have dedicated resources to help ensure that this store exceeds the state expectations while maintaining the high standards that we set for all of our stores."