Jul. 4--Riverfest is a fairly safe place to eat considering the potential for contamination and illness, according to a La Crosse County food inspector.

Jim Steinhoff, a sanitarian for the La Crosse County Health Department who inspects restaurants and bars, has been at Riverside Park inspecting about 15 food booths. "As a measure of safety over the last 20 years, we've had very few calls about illness at the festival," Steinhoff said. "They do a pretty good job of keeping it safe, but there is always a lot of potential for problems."

In the past, food booths at Riverfest have had electrical failures, which affect refrigeration, and there is typically at least one rainstorm that causes muddy conditions, he said.

"It's really hard to keep up with the problems faced in an outdoor restaurant," Steinhoff said.

"Normally the air temperature inside a restaurant is 70 to 80 degrees, but when you're out at the park, the air temperature can be up to 100 degrees," he said. "It's a struggle to keep the refrigerated food at 41 degrees or lower as required by law."

Customers should make sure employees are not touching food with bare hands or gloved hands are touching the employees' noses, Steinhoff said.

"Cross-contamination is a major issue," Steinhoff said. "People should also make sure they are eating cold food that is cold and hot food that is hot. If the temperature is not right, you probably don't want to eat it."

Each food booth is required to have its own hand-washing area, he said.

"Sometimes you'll see vendors forgetting about an adequate supply of water and paper towels," Steinhoff said.

Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com, or (608) 791-8227.

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