SANITARIANS CHECK TO KEEP FOOD SAFE

Cape Girardeau County environmental sanitarians say folks can patronize the county's restaurants with little worry, because most owners comply with regulations and fix problems quickly.

But Diane Gregory of the county health department doesn't like to give the go-ahead to eat, drink and be merry all the time. One mistake, like an employee failing to wash his hands or a roast thawed the wrong way, and there could be major health problems.

Gregory, along with three other sanitarians, give surprise inspections at restaurants, taverns and convenience stores. They also inspect schools, group homes and senior centers.

There are more than 300 facilities checked about twice a year.

The sanitarians use metal thermometers to check food temperatures -- more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit is appropriate for hot foods. They look for loose-fitting lids on garbage cans, employees using the restroom and not washing their hands and 231 other items that lead to food-borne disease.

Before last year, restaurant owners were scored on their condition, with the highest numbers assigned to the worst offenses. The system didn't work because restaurant with minor offenses could score the same as one with a potentially dangerous problem.

Sanitarians write down each offense and set a date for it to be resolved. Some of those "closed for remodeling" signs on restaurants are because of temporary health department closures.

"Our goal is to protect the public health, not force people out of business," Gregory said. "But sometimes people have to go out of business to protect the public health."

Restaurant owners realize the health department wants what the customers want -- hot foods hot, cold foods cold and sanitary surroundings, she said.

Alan Bruns, assistant manager at Pizza Inn, said surprise inspections make his staff nervous, but there usually isn't any reason to be.

"When I go out to eat somewhere else, I'm happy to know the inspectors control what's going on there, too," Bruns said.

Some Cape Girardeau inspections have yielded not-so-pleasant results. Sanitarian Jonell McNeely ordered a shake at one fast food restaurant and saw an employee lifting the shake machine lid and blowing into the mixture.

McNeely called the manager, who was appalled. The manager explained her employee was blowing on the froth at the top of the machine so she could see how much shake mixture was left.

Common problems include unsanitized wiping cloths lying around anywhere. If the cloths aren't soaking in a bleach mixture, they don't really clean anything.

The sanitarians' biggest concern is the June 9 and 10 Riverfest in downtown Cape Girardeau. Sanitarians have to inspect the 35 food vendors that come to the festival each year.

The health department stays involved from the planning stages, but Riverfest's first day is hellish, McNeely said. Everyone wants to be inspected and open by 5 p.m. Friday, but even after they get the final nod, McNeely and her co-workers hang around.

"We keep someone there all the time to keep an eye on them," she said. "It makes some vendors mad because they are used to working places where nobody asks anything."

McNeely thinks Cape Girardeau's sanitarians have the reputation of being some of the toughest in the state.

And while county residents may not know much about the health department employees, they enjoy the benefits of good, healthy food.

TOP TEN CAUSES OF DISEASE IN FOOD

Improper cooling

12-hour lapse between cooking and serving

Infected personnel handling food

Inadequate heating

Warmer unit temperature set too low

Contaminated raw food or ingredient

Unsafe source

Leftovers

Cross contamination (one unsafe food source infects another)

Toxins -- such as pesticides or cleaning agents -- mis with foods