Kansas Food Safety

Many of the food safety responsibilities for protecting the Kansas consumer have been transferred from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The Kansas Department of Agriculture has always protected the public by regulating the production and sale of meat, poultry, dairy products, and eggs. Now they will also protect the consumer by taking over the responsibility for licensing and inspecting grocery and convenience stores; food processors and manufacturers; food wholesalers; mobile ice cream vendors; and food vending machine companies. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment will continue to inspect restaurants, school cafeterias, and senior meal sites.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture reorganized as follows to take on the new consumer protection tasks. The Food Safety Inspection Program was created and is now responsible for food safety inspections in grocery and convenience stores, food wholesaler's warehouses, and at food processing plants. The Agricultural Commodities Assurance Program continues to inspect eggs. The Meat and Poultry Program licenses and inspects meat and poultry plants. It you have a concern about your meat these are the people to contact. The Dairy Inspection Program inspects dairies, milk haulers, transfer stations, pasteurization plants, bottlers and ice plants. The Weights and Measures Program is now responsible for inspecting ice cream trucks and vending machines that dispense food..

The Kansas Department of Agriculture also inspects other businesses and individuals selling directly to the consumer . Some of these businesses include growers that intend to sell their produce at fruit or vegetable stands or at framer's markets; producers of wine, beer or cider; individuals that travel to process meat or poultry for sale; and those farmers who grow "organic" foods.

If you have ever wondered just what was in that hot dog you are eating besides meat or chicken, contact the Center of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy, College Park MD 20740 and request their "compilation of the current defect action levels for natural or unavoidable defects in food for human use that present no health hazard". If they say "Huh" then say bug parts and feces. Unfortunately these are some of the guidelines that Kansas inspectors must use to protect you, the consumer, from bad food.