Inspectors Put Tulsa Fair Food Vendors To The Test

It's state fair time in Tulsa, and organizers are busy with last minute ride set up, getting barns ready for livestock and, of course, prepping for the fair food.

Before the concessions stands open Thursday the Tulsa County Health Department spent Wednesday inspecting every food vendor to make sure what they are serving is safe to eat.

When many people come to the fair they're concerned with how good the food will be, or this year's newest odd creation, but the Health Department is concerned inspecting every concession to make sure the fair food won't make you sick.

9/24/2014 Related Story: Health Inspectors Work To Keep Food At Tulsa State Fair Safe

Before it's fried, battered or powdered, the place where the fair food is prepped has to pass a test.

Some two hundred vendors pack into the exchange building at the fairgrounds so the inspectors can lay down the law of fair food handling. Each vendor learns what is required and has to pass an inspection.

"We are checking to make sure that all the food comes from an approved source, not their backyard or their home kitchen, and then we start looking at the physical facility,” said Elizabeth Nutt with the Tulsa Health Department.

The inspection was something vendor Karen Jencks was ready for. Her concession stand has been a staple for some twenty years.

When asked if she gets nervous for the inspection, Jencks said, “Oh yes that's just a part of it. You are like, ‘oh my gosh did we forget something,' There is not really a checklist.”

Health Department inspectors know what they are looking for and they start on the outside.

“We will be making sure the booth itself is constructed correctly to make sure it keeps out flies and mice and anything of that nature,” Nutt said.

Then there's a quick verbal test, usually vendors talk about their staff and training.

We have a stand manager and they will check off on people on how their hygiene is,” said Jencks.

Finally, there is a grand tour of the makeshift kitchen.

The check is thorough. It includes everything from a test of the water temperature to how meat is stored.

Not everyone's inspection will go as smoothly and others, inspectors shut some booths down.

“They may have run out of hot water, they might need to replace some unit of sort, so they may be closed for some short period of time before we re-inspect them and they are allowed to reopen, said Nutt.

The Health Department doesn't check how healthy the food is, so no calorie counts are provided.

Jencks said you can bet the food is made with a little lard and lot of love, but each booth is inspected at least four times during the 11 day fair.