Office for Consumer and Environmental Protection is On Guard

The Division of Regulation and Inspection affects Kentuckians’ day-to-day lives, from making sure eggs are up to standard to checking if service stations are pumping quality fuel.

At the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the division carries out several programs, such as those under the Egg Marketing and Licensing Program. Staff randomly inspect retail-sold eggs to make sure consumers are getting what they paid for – safe, properly refrigerated eggs the same quality as what it says on the label.

“We make sure you’re getting the correct grade and quality of egg,” says Jason Glass, assistant director.

State eggs are checked against USDA standards that grades eggs as AA, A or B. Inspectors weigh eggs and also candle them, meaning that a strong light is focused onto the egg to see past the shell. They look into the egg’s interior and exterior, making sure there are no abnormalities, Glass says.

The division’s Weights and Measures Branch ensures fair value in the marketplace. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, checking accuracy of scales, whether at farms, grocery stores or even rock quarries; testing retail store prices for accuracy so that the price you’re paying matches the one on the shelf; and inspecting all retail gas pumps to ensure fuel is priced correctly and meets standards.

“We pull samples of gasoline and send them to our contract lab to make sure the fuel is the quality it should be,” Glass says.

And the fun rides you might take a whirl on at amusement parks, carnivals or fairs? The division inspects those, too, making sure they are maintained and set up to comply with manufacturer and industry standards.

The division falls within the Office for Consumer and Environmental Protection of the Department of Agriculture. For assistance, call (508) 573-0282 or visit kyagr.com.