Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020116
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SHANNON D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER NOTE: Below
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Festival-goers witnessed sporadic rainfall last weekend, and forecasts are showing a chance of the same for this weekend.
Roanoke's health inspectors also are taking extra precautions. Although safety standards are high this year with festival vendors, they say, things get messy when vendors continue to serve food during rain.
That's something "we've never had a problem with before," said Karen Chaples, a senior environmental health specialist for the city.
It's not so much the rain itself that contaminates food, Chaples said, but what rain can pick up on the way down, such as dust and bacteria from overhead tarps and covers. Rain also can cause problems with food temperature control.
Health inspectors have taken extra precautions to prevent such problems by assuring that rain is kept as far from the food as possible. Making sure overhead coverings are watertight and requiring more of an overhang are two ways to assure this, Chaples said. Another is making sure there is a certain distance between where food is prepared and where it is served.
Even with strict guidelines for food vendors, Chaples said the best way for festival-goers to protect themselves is, "just like anything else, use common sense."
Although all food vendors must follow the same guidelines, some foods are more potentially dangerous than others. According to the Roanoke Health Department they include "any food which consists in whole or in part of milk, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or other ingredients capable of supporting the rapid and progressive growth" of bacteria.
Vendors are inspected about three times a day, Chaples said. A health specialist is at the festival all day. The vendors "know what our standards are," she said.
Vendors must apply for a temporary food permit before they set up a stand. If the stand passes inspection, the vendor gets a permit to operate.
Some of the guidelines that food vendors must follow include:
No home-cooked or home-canned foods can be sold.
All foods sold must be purchased from approved sources.
All cooked or prepared food must be served on, or in, single-use paper or plastic utensils.
All concession areas must be "adequately protected from contamination from dust, vermin and customers."
Food vendors at The James H. Drew Exposition, which will operate in the Roanoke Civic Center parking lot through Sunday, also must deal with the weather.
"We use basically the same guidelines as restaurants," said Garth Nicely, manager of the exposition.
Nicely said concessions at fairs that travel from venue to venue, such as his, are somewhat different from those at an annual festival. "The vendors usually travel with us," Nicely said, adding that vendors who set up temporarily could operate differently. "What you see here is our normal operation," he said. "Every time we do it, we get inspected by the local health department."
Concessions for Festival in the Park will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. between the Jefferson Lodge and the public library on Jefferson Street.
by CNB