More than 150 food vendors are expected to arrive in Christian County this weekend to serve eclipse tourists.
Health Education Manager Amanda Bassingthwaitesays the Christian County Health Department is taking precautions to ensure the health and safety of more than 500,000 visitors expected to arrive for the event. Bassingthwaite says inspectors will be stopping by food vendors to make sure protocols are in place to prevent any foodborne outbreaks.
“You just have your typical food borne illnesses such as salmonella I mean gosh there’s lots of em that you can get by not properly serving your food where it’s typically gonna be really hot. So food that’s cooked it needs to stay hot or stay at the certain temperature so there’s no food borne illnesses cultured in the food,” said Bassingthwaite.
Bassingthwaite says all vendors must obtain a permit from the local health department before selling food to customers. According to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky has reported over 7,000 foodborne illnesses since 2010.
