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Store's effort to serve fresh chickens raises concerns
written by: Carrie Mc Clure Reporter
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf Web Producer
Created: 7/17/2006 9:43 PM MST - Updated: 7/18/2006 3:10 PM MST



About 150 chickens a day would be brought to the store and every morning the chickens would be given a fatal electric shock. July 17, 2006.

COMMERCE CITY - Some residents are up in arms over what a new grocery store plans to do with its poultry.

California-based Liborio Markets, a Latino-based grocery store, is branching out to Colorado.

Eight stores in all are planned for the state, the first one to be called Rancho Liborio in Commerce City.

The store, scheduled to open July 30, is talking with the U.S. Department of Health and the Tri-County Health Department, seeking approval to bring in live chickens that will be killed at the store.

"We are proposing to have live poultry processed here at the store," said owner, Anthony Trujillo. "It's just live poultry that's processed in the back that has no access to the store."

Trujillo says about 150 chickens a day would be brought to the store in climate-controlled trucks, where they're then unloaded into a climate-controlled room in the back.

Every morning, the chickens are given a fatal electric shock, de-feathered, cleaned, cut, and put on the shelves. Trujillo says no live chickens remain in the back for more than five hours.

"There is no butchering or slaughtering whatsoever," said Trujillo. "It's a sophisticated state-of-the-art technology."

However, nearby residents, like Claudia Barnes, don't like the idea at all.

"We're just appalled," she said. "If they want to do this in the privacy of their home, I don't care. But we're just opening up a keg of worms if this happens."

Barnes argues that Commerce City law states no livestock is allowed to be killed in the city where zoning has not been approved for that purpose.

"If they make an exception for them, they're going to have to make an exception for everyone," she said.

She plans on creating a petition with her neighbors to fight the possibility of live chickens coming into the store.

Trujillo says his store is a new concept for Colorado residents, regardless of whether their petition is approved or not.

"It will be a very active poultry area," he said. "Colorado is our new home."

Trujillo says three additional stores are scheduled to open later this year in Aurora, Colorado Springs, and Greeley.

Next year, he plans to open four more in Westminster, Thornton, and at two yet-to-be announced locations in Denver.