As we head into the summer months, there are a lot of celebrations heading our way. From graduations and Memorial Day to Juneteenth and Fourth of July, there's a lot to celebrate and a lot of time to enjoy with family and friends. That includes lots of grilling, picnics and other food-focused celebrations. But we don't always think about how our celebration foods came to make it onto our plates or what it took to make sure our food is safe to eat. That's where Ohio's public employees come in. Across the state, public employees are making sure our food is healthy and safe, from the growing and processing to so much more.
This includes our 70 public Meat Inspectors across Ohio. Thanks to these OCSEA members, we can have confidence in the meat we buy and cook. Ohio's Meat Inspectors perform their jobs with expertise anywhere food is being processed with red meat or poultry content of 2 percent or more. That means they don’t just inspect meat in slaughter houses. They inspect factories and food programs throughout the state to ensure food safety. “I’ll go from a kill floor, to inspecting pepperoni pizza, or Meals on Wheels,” said Kristina Shanes, an Ohio Dept. of Agriculture Meat Inspector and union steward with Reynoldsburg Chapter 4550. The inspectors also are the ones responsible for doing meat recalls at the state level. They do it all! And we couldn't be more thankful!
Want to learn more about Kristina and her co-workers at the Dept. of Agriculture who keep our food safe? Read the latest edition of the OCSEA magazine at OCSEA.org/PEQ. Kristina Shanes is an Ohio Dept. of Agriculture Meat Inspector and union steward with Reynoldsburg Chapter 4550.