It’s the fried food that attracts most visitors to the State Fair of Texas.
That means every fall, the city of Dallas code compliance office is tasked with making sure the food is safe to eat.
“We just want to make sure everything is good. We want to make sure that there are no food-borne illnesses,” said senior sanitarium Eduardo Carrizales.
Carrizales is one of many city health inspectors who visit food vendors during the fair’s 24-day run.
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Every booth undergoes the same inspection as a brick-and-mortar restaurant, according to Carrizales.
One notable exception is fair vendors are visited more frequently. In addition to check-in, before the fair begins, they’ll be visited four more times for an inspection throughout the three weeks.
The frequent inspections are in part because vendors are serving a massive amount of food in a short time.
Fletcher’s Corny Dogs will sell half a million corny dogs at their seven stands.
“We’ve been doing this 81 years, and we know what we’re doing, but at the same time, it’s very busy out here, so it’s great to have someone come in to give us that support and check us out so we know that we’re doing everything by the book,” said co-owner Amber Fletcher.
Health inspectors said they’re focused on preventing a food-borne illness outbreak.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Carrizales said. “Making sure there’s no bare hand contact and making sure they’re washing their hands properly.”
Carrizales said most inspections serve as reminders of food safety to the fair’s large number of seasonal workers.
Fletcher’s passed their inspection on Wednesday, and the code compliance office said to date, no fair vendor has failed or experienced any serious issues.
“[People] just want to come, and they want to eat, and that’s something that’s never in the back of their mind, and I’d like to continue that,” Carrizales said.
