Should the County Inspect Food Trucks?

The food trucks proliferating in San Diego County should display the same health inspection letter grades as restaurants do, Supervisor Ron Roberts said today.

Roberts announced that he will ask county staff, at tomorrow's Board of Supervisors meeting, to develop procedures for food trucks to display the results of county health inspections for customers.

The county inspects around 1,100 mobile food operations in the region, of which 550 sell to the public, but they aren't required to display the results, he said.

Restaurants generally display their “A” grade on a blue placard in a front window.

“The county of San Diego does a great job of ensuring food safety and our scheduled and surprise inspections are effective,” Roberts said. “Now we need to get in step with this growing trend and provide the public with visible letter grades so customers can quickly and easily see the trucks have passed food safety inspection.”

Roberts said his idea is supported by the San Diego County Restaurant Association and the owners of Trucked Up Productions, who operate the Chop Soo-ey and Ms. Patty Melt food trucks.

A survey released last September by the National Restaurant Association showed that 59 percent of those queried would likely visit a food truck if it was offered by their favorite restaurant; that 18 percent saw a food truck in their community last summer; and that 28 percent of those who saw a truck made a purchase.

–City News Service

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