Food for thought

When you run for City Council you learn a great deal about how small business perceives city government. People share their troubles with you in the hopes that you can do something about it if you're elected. One such thing I learned about recently is the Food Safety program administered by the Kansas City Health Department. Restaurants provide a lot employment in this town. Granted the jobs aren't the greatest but they are jobs. I've bussed a few tables and hauled a few kegs in my day, as have a lot of us. You would think government would go out of its way to help these small businesses be successful and provide employment. The last thing you want is government putting unnecessary hurdles in the way of getting a job. For example, our current food safety ordinance. It comes directly out of recommendations by the United States Public Health Service/Food and Drug Administration. So far so good. Of course once our local authorities got hold of it and started making changes things went downhill in a hurry. There's this text: obtain FOOD HANDLER cards for each employee who prepares, handles, or dispenses food for human consumption, or who comes into contact with food or food preparation utensils Fair enough. If you're touching my food or my utensils you should have to prove that you at least know not to do anything nasty. But a few sentences later in the ordinance we have this gem: Within three years of adoption of this Code: ninety (90) percent of employees shall possess a FOOD HANDLER card. We're past the three years so the law is that 90% of any restaurant's employees must possess the card. The first problem with that is the 90% applies to "employees" and not "food handling employees." Not a big deal I guess but a major pain if you're a busser or a hostess and never come in contact with food. Now the fun part. To get the food handler card you have to go to a food handling class put on by the Health Department at 2400 Troost. Three hours of "wash your hands" put on by some poor soul who would probably rather be anywhere else than teaching rudimentary food handling techniques to other poor souls who would rather be anywhere else. For $20 you get the class and a nifty certificate of completion if you score 70% or better on the test at the end. Of course the certificate means nothing. You still need the card. If you're lucky enough to get out of class during a time you can actually get a card, you pay another $10 and you're on your way. If not, you have to go back to 2400 Troost again during the established hours that Food Handler cards are dispensed. So you're trying to get a job washing dishes and before you can even put on an apron you're out three hours, $30 and two trips to the Health Department. Does that sound like government being helpful to you?