Close Call for Firefighter Draws Attention to Restaurant Cleanliness
Shreveport, LA
KSLA-TV
REPORTER: Jeff Ferrell
The emergency liver transplant this week for a Shreveport Fire Captain, has raised worries about the Hepatitis-A infection, which forced the procedure. It’s believed Captain Gene Williams may have contracted the virus from a buffet while on vacation in Florida.
Worries back here in Caddo Parish have led to more restaurant complaints by the public coming into the Caddo Health Unit.
It turns out, nearly a third of all restaurants in Caddo Parish require a second visit by health inspectors, according to Mike McKinney. “The primary focus should be hand washing, frequency of hand washing.” Lack of handwashing, said McKinney, combined often with uncooked food like vegetables, can transfer viruses like Hepatitis-A.
McKinney oversees nine inspectors who visit every restaurant in the parish four times a year. And restaurants know they live or die by word of mouth. “We do not want any bad thing happen to us. Thank God. So far, we haven’t had any,” explained Chef Lee Manager Peter Massari.
Massari told News 12 that his restaurant avoids even the possibility of most employee contact with the food. “My servers do not touch the food. This is a buffet, the customer you know go to the food directly, my cashier did not come in touch with it either.” only food handlers with gloves do so.
McKinney told us temperature control is also critical and busy buffets have an advantage. “[Food] Doesn’t have that much time to sit out and get cold or not maintained at a proper temperature.”
McKinney said during his three years supervising health inspectors, only one restraurant in the entire parish required a fine before complying.
Health officials say the most important inspector is the general public. They say if you see something wrong, you’re urged to report it.