Much of the press regarding street food lately has been about the illegality of selling food from a truck at a metered parking spot.
Now comes word from DNAinfo that six illegally operating food carts have been taken off the streets of Washington Heights earlier this month as part of an operation with the Department of Health.
Police swept Broadway between West 155th and 168th streets, hauling away six carts. The sting was part of a year-long operation conducted in conjunction with the Department of Health. Mullen said the DOH has conducted four raids so far this year. [DNAinfo]
With its large Latino population, street vendors have been a staple in Washington Heights and Inwood for many years. Street food has been undergoing a renaissance in the past few years, and now everyone is trying to get into the act – whether they have the required permits and food handling licenses or not.
Although we don’t agree with the crackdowns on food trucks that have all the required licenses and permits, food vendors who have not taken (or worse, taken and not passed) food handling courses should not be allowed to sell their wares on the street. End of story.
