Eating out without fear
Food inspectors make sure the vittles you get
at restaurants are safe

ABOVE: Waitress Veronique Rochelle Jaramillo carries a tray of food out from the kitchen Friday, September 12 at Coal Street Pub. BELOW: Waitress Veronique Rochelle Jaramillo carries a tray of food out from the kitchen Friday, September 12 at Coal Street Pub. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Cable Hoover
Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Gaye Brown de Alvarez
Staff writer

GALLUP — It all started when a woman came into the Independent office and asked an editor, “What does it mean if a convenience store has a red tag in their window?”

After several calls and some transfer of paperwork, it was discovered that the convenience store was labeled as “unsatisfactory,” by the state of New Mexico Environment Department on a Food Establishment Inspection/Risk Assessment Report, and until the violations found by the inspector were fixed, the red tag would stay on the window, alerting customers to the risks of eating food sold by the facility.

Andrew Wilson, food specialist for the Environmental Health Division, is one of nine food inspectors in District 5 of the Environment Department. District 5, which includes McKinley, San Juan, Cibola, Valencia and northern Catron counties regularly inspects about 2,000 food venues in the district. He is a busy man.

Wilson, 49, has been on the job almost two years. In addition to food preparation and sales, he also inspects septic systems and pools.

“There is a lot of paperwork involved,” Wilson said in an interview in the Gallup office. “If I did an inspection, there has to be a report.”

Summer is a busy time for inspectors; not only are pools opening and septic systems being built, but the Environmental Health Division recently started scheduling schools for food safety training for their cooks and kitchen staff.

“We started doing it last year,” Wilson said. “We teach them about foodborne illnesses, time and temperature of food storage, safe handling practices, hand-washing procedures and personal hygiene.”

One of the most important things that Wilson does, he said, is develop a rapport with the people who run the facilities by having the same inspectors review the same restaurants.

He told a story of one place he inspected, where every time he walked in the owner would hide a pile of half-cooked bacon that he had near the grill. Bacon can be raw or cooked, Wilson explained. But not half-cooked. When the inspector develops a rapport and there is less turnover of inspectors, “they stop trying to do those things.”

Wilson said the Environmental Health Division’s “enforcement tools are adequate,” and added that even if some violations are found, the status of the establishment can be marked as “approved.” If the violations are not corrected, the establishment can be listed “Unsatisfactory” with a red tag on the window, or they can voluntarily close, giving the public any reason they want, until it is reinspected and the violation is fixed.

If a facility is found unsatisfactory repeatedly, its food handling license can be immediately suspended, and can be reissued only after a meeting in Santa Fe.

Everybody gets inspected, Wilson said, before they open, then again after they open and then on a regular basis.
“One thing,” he said. “With the recent food scares, the public is more concerned about food safety.”

He added that a lot of people are getting away from serving burgers, hot dogs and fried things, and trying salad bars and deli bars. This opens the door for people looking for healthier options.

Some food vendors do not need to be inspected. He said those selling bottled beverages do not need inspection and he said, believe it or not, people cooking and serving frybread in hot oil do not need to be inspected. The oil is so hot it kills all bacteria, he said.