Getting ready for new law

The Tribune reports that restaurants and other eateries in Indiana that fail to meet the new Food Handler Certification requirement by Jan. 1 may be fined up to $100 per day.
Representatives from the food industry proposed the rule, which the Indiana General Assembly passed in 2001, allowing a four-year grace period for infrastructure buildup.
Designed to reduce food sickness caused by salmonella, E. coli and cross-contamination, the law applies to every facility that does any on-site cooking, including schools, churches, fraternity and sorority houses, bars, taverns and strip clubs.
State health officials reported 67 foodborne outbreaks — or incidents of contaminated food — in Indiana between 1999 and 2003.