Food Safety On Big City Streets
Over the years, I have sampled numerous street food offerings in various cities throughout the U.S. More recently, I have been intrigued by news that certain street foods are both “going gourmet” and growing in popularity.
A few weeks ago, the Chicago Tribune reported on a new movement (spearheaded by gourmet chef Matt Maroni) to greatly expand Chicago’s street food scene (“Chef hopes to change Chicago laws barring gourmet food trucks”).
Unlike many other major cities, Chicago’s ordinances currently permit only pre-prepared and packaged foods to be sold on the street (i.e. hot dogs and popcorn). This is because there can be numerous potential hazards associated with the preparation of foods in mobile food trucks or stands. These include:
- If a food truck or stand is not parked close enough to a bathroom with a hand washing station, the food preparers could themselves contaminate food;
- If the food truck or stand runs low or runs out of potable water (which the truck itself must store in a tank), hands, utensils, equipment and food preparation areas may not be properly washed and sanitized;
- There is the potential for the truck’s power source to inadequately maintain hot and cold temperatures (especially during the heat of summer); and
- There is the potential for cross-contamination between foods such as raw meat and produce due to the limited storage and preparation space.
Recognizing the growing public interest in gourmet street food, however, chef Maroni is hoping to amend the regulations to allow preparation of fresh food made-to-order in a mobile food truck (i.e. flatbread stuffed with braised lamb, marinated tomatoes and a curry tzatziki).
In the amended ordinance he has proposed, Maroni does tackle the potential food safety concerns. And Elizabeth Gomez, director of outreach for Chicago alderman Scott Waguespack, a proponent of the ordinance, said “[w]e are taking our time to make sure that we are addressing public health and safety concerns [and] to ensure that we create an ordinance that will be successful in Chicago." Better technology, as well as commitment to food safety, can also reduce the risks in mobile food trucks. New state-of-the-art food trucks were showcased at the National Restaurant Association’s recent show in Chicago.
So, while we absolutely need to ensure that food (wherever prepared) is prepared safely, I will be watching the new ordinances with curiosity. And, chef Maroni’s braised lamb sure sounds good…
