WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin — With hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on West Allis over the next week and a half, food safety is top of mind for some State Fair vendors this summer.
A large cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, which supplies many fast food vendors and grocery stores across the country, has resulted in nearly 6,400 cases, almost 300 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths in the U.S. so far this year. The CDC is also investigating other potential sources of the outbreak.
At the Island Noodles food stand, vendor Kelley Rowe said the outbreak prompted a change in how the stand prepares its ingredients.
Watch: State Fair vendors take extra food safety steps amid nationwide cyclospora outbreak
"We don't use any lettuce," Rowe told TMJ4. "We do use shredded cabbage and baby spinach, so what we have done is add those ingredients in a little earlier in the cooking process," Rowe said.
Rowe said adding produce earlier in the cooking process ensures it is exposed to as much heat as possible. The CDC says cooking produce to 158 degrees will kill the cyclospora parasite, a temperature well below what Island Noodles operates at.
"Those woks are like 900 degrees," Rowe said.
Rowe said those changes, combined with food inspections conducted by the health department, give him confidence in the safety of what he is serving.
For fairgoers like Rita Hupfer, that kind of diligence matters.
"The worst thing you want to do is after you have a great day at the fair is to be not feeling great," Hupfer said.
Fellow fairgoer Peter Rohde said the variety of food is part of what makes the fair special.
"State fair food's always fun cause it's always different stuff that you don't see," Rohde said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
