TIGHTENING REGULATIONS ON FOOD TRUCKS-IMPROVING CONSUMER SAFETY

Any venture during its infancy needs protection and consideration till grows to a level of reasonable strength and self reliance. This is true of the nascent mobile food vending movement taking roots in the US. Unlike in India where food safety consciousness is at a very low level, the US consumer is super sensitive to the dangers posed by ill managed food handling joints and this is reflected by the current efforts in bringing this food vending outlets into the main stream catering sector through safety standards and monitoring. Naturally there is some resistance to this move by the safety authorities because of added cost and logistical constraints but in the interest of consumer health, government cannot shirk its responsibility in this area of vital concern. According to present thinking of the authorities, food trucks that span the entire country have come of age and as an institution serving consumers they will have to be transparent in their activities which can be brought about by regular inspections, grading etc.

"The new policy would require about 6,000 catering trucks operating throughout the county to undergo three inspections a year: two graded inspections and one certification inspection. Depending on the outcome, the truck would have to display a placard with a grade of "A" (scoring above 90 percent in food safety and quality), "B" (scoring above 80 percent) or "C" (scoring above 70 percent). Any truck scoring below a C grade would be shut down. If the new policy is adopted Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the trucks - known as "mobile food facilities" - would also have to disclose detailed route information so that county inspectors can easily find them for random checks. A manager of Royal Catering Co., which runs trucks in Torrance, San Pedro and elsewhere, said the new policy is unnecessary. "People think we just drive a truck somewhere and start selling food," said the manager, who didn't want her name used because she was not authorized to speak for the Lynwood-based company. "That is not the case. We undergo a number of Those in the industry say the policy appears to be another attempt to legislate the trucks out of business. Restaurant owners have long complained that the trucks steal business, block city streets and create other traffic hazards. Cities on The Hill recently enacted zoning laws that restrict how the trucks can operate: In Rancho Palos Verdes, they must move at least 500 feet every 10 minutes, and in Palos Verdes Estates, they must park within 250 feet of a restroom facility. The Los Angeles City Council began looking at new regulations for mobile food trucks in August of this year, due largely to complaints from area chambers of commerce. Most cities, including those in the South Bay, require certification and business license fees for these trucks, but defer to the county for health inspections of restaurants and other eating establishments. Currently, the county requires the trucks to be certified and inspected once a year. If county leaders adopt the new policy, cities must then pass conforming ordinances allowing health officials to inspect trucks that operate in their boundaries, Fielding said. As of now, the policy would only affect trucks and carts that operate in unincorporated areas, such as county areas near Harbor City and in Marina del Rey. It would go into effect within 30 days".

Of course the complaints regarding the functioning of food trucks were orchestrated by the organized business body probably because of business threats posed by food trucks to regular established caterers in many cities where they appear to be enjoying increased patronage from consumers. How ever, illogical restraints, difficult to comply with firman and harassment can sound the death knell for this nascent movement. All said and done, mobile street vending players do serve a useful role in meeting the needs of a substantial segment of the consumer community aspiring for new and diversified tasting foods at affordable cost and a balance needs to be struck between the need for consumer protection and the imperatives of a new emerging business with high growth potential.

V.H.POTTY

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