INSPECTORS KEEP CLOSE WATCH ON FAIR FOOD; SEMO DISTRICT FAIR OFFICIALLY OPENS TODAY AT ARENA PARK

Clipboard in hand, Jonell McNeely inspected a funnel cake stand, making sure the refrigerator keeps cake mix at the right temperature and that everything is clean.

McNeely is one of four inspectors with the Cape Girardeau Health Department making sure food at the SEMO District Fair is safe to eat. The fair officially opens today at Arena Park, and runs through Saturday.

About 50 stands at the fair that sell food will be inspected daily to make sure standards don't slip.

"We get a lot of compliments about the quality of food at the fair," McNeely said. "And I eat here. I think overall they do a pretty good job."

On the clipboard is a state health inspection form and the county's own form, which is a little stricter.

"We have high standards," McNeely said. "But we try not to be nit picky."

The check list includes making sure water coming into the stand is through an approved hose and that dirty water is properly disposed.

"We make sure flies are not a problem. We educate people who handle food and emphasize hand washing," she said.

Hazardous foods, those that can cause illness like meat, eggs or milk, must be kept above 140 degrees or below 45 degrees. McNeely has a thermometer at the ready to test taco meat and corn dogs.

Food must come from an approved source; it can't be thawed at room temperature; containers must be properly labeled; cleaning supplies shouldn't be stored above food preparation areas; light bulbs must have protective covers in case a bulb should blow.

"We're not just hassling them," McNeely said. "We are really trying to keep the food safe."

Often, she said, customers are just as effective in getting things changed. If people complain about cold food or dirty conditions, most concessionaires will shape up or lose business.

At the funnel cake stand, Payton McKinney watched as McNeely opened the cabinet below the sink. "She's the first person all summer who has looked in there," she said.

Payton and her husband, Ron, sell funnel cakes and lemonade five months each year. They live in Texas. She said inspections vary greatly. "Sometimes we have an inspector who looks in the door, says everything is okay and we never see him again. At the state fair in Sedalia, we were inspected twice a day.

"It helps us to have an inspection and to get a good grade," she said. "If we are clean, I'll do better business."

In fact, McKinney hopes people will take a second look before they order. "Look for cleanliness and how clean the servers are," she recommends. "Chances are you will get better service and a better product."

At the end of the fair, inspectors make recommendations for improvements to be made for next year's event.

Herb Nussbaum at the Trinity Lutheran stand said the men's club invested over $5,000 in improvements at their stand.

Based on advice from the health department, a new stainless steel food preparation table replaced a wooden table. A new stainless steel grill and sink have been installed. The refrigeration systems were revamped. "It has got to be just the right temperature," Nussbaum said.

"They are pretty strict," he said of the health inspectors. "But people should feel pretty comfortable the food here is safe."