Thursday, August 27, 2009
Fifteen health department workers will patrol the fair.
CANFIELD — Good food is a staple for many during the Canfield Fair, which is why members of the Mahoning County District Board of Health work round-the-clock to make sure vendors are meeting state standards.
Mary Helen Smith, deputy director of environmental health, said 10 sanitarians, two plumbing inspectors and three managers are on hand throughout the fair, which begins Wednesday and runs through Sept. 7. She said their jobs are to ensure the health and safety of the public isn’t compromised.
“Our goal is to make sure all vendors and food stands are able to comply with and maintain Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code regulations,” she said.
Smith said sanitarians initially inspect every vendor, stand and building that sells food on the grounds to make sure regulations are followed. She said this task usually takes several days to complete.
“We’re responsible for inspecting all food establishments, which will take us the first couple days of the fair,” she said. “Then we’ll staff the days on the weekend to do compliance inspections.”
This year, Smith said, 157 vendors registered, but some vendors have more than one stand — bringing the total to 240 food stands that need to be inspected.
Smith said inspectors take food temperatures and look at refrigerator temperatures and food-handling procedures. If a vendor doesn’t meet standards, the sanitarians walk them through ways to bring the food establishment up to code, she said.
“We’ll meet with them and lay out exactly what they need to do to bring the stand back into compliance,” she said. “Then we give them a certain amount of time to do that.”
It’s not unusual for sanitarians to visit a vendor more than once, but it’s no reason to worry about the quality of food, Smith said.
“We always have someone we have to reinspect, but by the end of Friday, everyone has been approved,” she said. “In my recent history, I can’t remember a time when we weren’t able to bring someone back into compliance.”
Smith said the most common problems vendors run into are not with the food itself, but simply cases of lost thermometers, hoses or water test strips.
“Those are probably the biggest issues,” she said. “We collaborate with [fair manager] Bev Fisher and the board in supplying some of those things. We also have a list of suppliers so if someone is from out of town, they can go purchase what they need.”
Each day, two sets of inspectors will work four-hour shifts with a manager supervising each shift, Smith said during a Thursday board of health meeting at the fairgrounds.
Board members also proudly showed off a Model Practice Award during the meeting. The award honors the board for implementing the program in which government and industry collaborate to monitor drinking-water wells around landfills in Mahoning County.
Health Commissioner Matthew Stefanak said the program keeps water clean for 1,300 families.
“Congratulations to all of us for this singular achievement,” he said.
The program is funded by the Mahoning County Solid Waste District and Republic Services Inc., which operates Carbon Limestone Landfill in Poland. Stefanak said the board was one of 23 in the country to receive the award.
efranco@vindy.com