“This a great exhibit!” a family commented as they toured the USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone at the Illinois State Fair last weekend. “This truck is great, I learned a lot of things I never even knew before, wattages and temperatures. Heck, I always over cooked my chicken, now I won’t!”
The whole family participated in the tour of the USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone—mother, father, daughter, grandparents, and two cousins.
“I had no idea that I was doing things that could be dangerous. I have always been conscientious of my cooking and I am glad to have this [Kitchen Companion] to make sure,” remarked the mother.
“It’s amazing how long you can go through life thinking one thing until something like this comes along. This just goes to show you’re never too old to learn something new!” exclaimed the grandmother.
As usual, there was a comedian in this family, and the father added, “You know, some people like to hunt big game like deer, elk, bears… I am now going after something much more dangerous... BACTERIA!”
The weekend weather was great as was the crowd. The Food Safety Discovery Zone was located next to the Ag-tivity tent and entrance. With the tram going by every ten minutes, the staff of Public Health Officers interacted with a lot of fairgoers.
We also had the opportunity to work with some wonderful volunteers from the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service District Office in Springfield, Illinois – making this another successful outreach event.
The Discovery Zone’s next stop will be at the Marinette County Fair in Wausaukee, Wis. We’ll be there August 26-29, and you can follow our travels on Facebook and Twitter if you aren’t able to attend!
