No other city in Kansas has its own food testing
Overland Park, along with Kansas, is the only city in Kansas to have its own food testing program.
That means eateries get visits from both the state and the city, sometimes within days of each other or even on the same day, said Vincent Jones, manager of community services for the city.
The extra checks create opportunities for conflict and confusion, which is frustrating for food vendors, he said.
Eliminating food testing has benefits, officials say
Jones said testing would be better done by states because of their expertise.
Food testing in general is a public health concern, he said.
“We don’t have a health department. We have a code inspection program. In general, we are not health inspectors. The states are experts when it comes to food safety,” he said.
Eliminating inspections could also free the city’s code department from building maintenance problems, he said. Currently, he has one full-time employee in the code department dedicated to food facilities.
Fees collected from inspections are minimal
The budget impact of this change is expected to be minor.
The fee collected from this program in 2022 was $71,800.
Commission chairman Logan Healy speculated that it probably did not cover the cost of staff time spent on testing.
Trustee Melissa Cheatham said it was a good item to approve during “Small Business Week.”
what happens next
The committee on Wednesday approved the idea with little other discussion.
If the entire council approves the move, it will go into effect immediately.
Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who frequently reports for The Post and other Kansas City-area publications. You can contact her at roxieham@gmail.com.