By Pauline Masson –
The City of Pacific is set to approve a food truck ordinance this week that spells out food truck owner responsibility.
The Pacific Board of Alderman (BOA) plans to adopt an ordinance that legally permits the operation of food truck in the city at the Tuesday, Aug. 5 meeting.
The city has not had an ordinance that regulates mobile food vendors but if the second reading of a bill is approved at the Monday Aug. 5, (BOA) meeting is approved food truck operators will face a set of regulations aimed at consumer safety.
Food truck operators are identified as an itinerant merchant engaged in preparing and selling food, coffee or soft drinks for immediate consumption from an enclosed mobile truck, trailer, or cart.
Hours of operation are 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The proposed ordinance identifies food truck operators as an itinerant merchant engaged in preparing and selling food, coffee or soft drinks for immediate consumption from an enclosed mobile truck, trailer, or cart.A four page addendum to the ordinance that includes the intent of the new law, a definition of food trucks, and spells out where food trucks can park, permits and licenses required, parking and traffic issues, as well as traffic, pedestrian and customer safety.
Specific issues include: where food trucks can park without out creating traffic or safety issues; parking near a brick and mortar restaurant; business license and use permit; sale of liquor from a food truck; parking on private property while the owner constructs a permanent building for their business; and the kind of signs a food truck can display?
No alcoholic beverages can be sold from a food trucks, except for one-time events when owners can apply for a special events permit.
Drive through is also prohibited.
Aldermen say they want to permit the sales of food and nonalcoholic beverages from food trucks within the City. New rules apply to food trucks operating on private property and public property owned by the City of Pacific
The new regulations limit the location and extent of sales and protects the rights of private property owners and businesses.
The regulations are lengthy and specific but do not appear to create a hardship for the food truck owners.
State Regulations
The State of Missouri also has specfic requirements for food truck operators. According to the state food handler’s guide, in Missouri, operating a food truck requires several permits and licenses to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations
Food truck operators must obtain a sales tax license from the Missouri Department of Revenue to collect and remit sales tax on the items sold.
Food trucks in Missouri are required to obtain a mobile food establishment permit from the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). This permit ensures that the food truck meets all the necessary health and safety standards.
At least one employee working on the food truck must have a food handler permit, which demonstrates knowledge of safe food handling practices.
more red tape, but needed for consumer safety and to protect down town , wish more of BOA’s proceedings were this sensible
Sounds like someone downtown not happy.
Mobile food vendors can contact The Instuite For Justice and have them fight this.
Being permitted by the county and a business license has always been a thing. But them being the overlords dictating where a mobile food vendor can go is over reach.
This is a simply a measure from brick and motor stores making complaints. It has nothing to do with consumer safety. Food trucks are not stealing your business. Your business is losing customers because of your lack of efficiency and quality.
In my interpretation of the bill, consumer safety was probably more accurately pedestrian safety, wanting to assure that vehicles were not driving or parking so close to food trucks as to endanger food truck customers .
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