County ponders food inspection changes

After a listeria outbreak in other areas, Callaway County is considering restaurant inspection changes allowing the county to raise certain inspection fees and to close restaurants with dangerous food preparation violations.

Callaway County Eastern District Commissioner Gabe Craighead said at the request of the Callaway County Health Department the county is considering a policy change that would authorize the county to close a restaurant that had failed repeated county inspections.

"Our current policy is that after a county inspector decides a restaurant has unsafe sanitary conditions, the matter is turned over to state health inspectors who make the decision to order the restaurant to close," Caighead said.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.