
The crime scene outfit is only available in a uniform size. Hair cap and shoe covers fit perfectly, the female protective suit, on the other hand, still has a lot of air around the hooves. "When getting dressed, make sure that the arms do not touch the floor!", warns dr. Werner hornung. Nothing escapes his eyes. Whether it’s dust on the lockers, splashes on the walls, or insect flukes in the flytrap, hornung has developed a merciless eye for detail in his twelve years as head of consumer protection in habfurt. But his department is facing new challenges in light of the corona crisis. Controls must nevertheless be carried out.
Normally hornung would show up completely uninformed. With a short phone call, however, he announces that he will be accompanied this time. Beforehand, the official veterinarian had asked district administrator wilhelm schneider whether food inspections could continue to take place in view of the risk of infection. The answer was a resounding yes. That was a week ago. Shortly afterwards, the bavarian state ministry for the environment and consumer protection tightened up the regulations once again.
Food inspection: not all establishments are the same
"In the case of large-scale operations, inspections are always carried out under the four-eyes principle", hornung explains as he stows his suitcase and protective gear in the car. "At the small chip shop around the corner, on the other hand, two eyes are enough." The conditions of admission have also become more stringent for the target of today’s food inspection: visitors to the habfurt "maintal" confectionery factory a coarse disinfectant dispenser awaits him in the entrance area. Then comes the corona check: guests must affirm that they have had no contact with infected persons or have recently been in risk areas. "Actually, we don’t let anyone in externally anymore", explains food technologist christan hastedt on admission control. Hornung is of course an exception.