Food Truck Legislation Introduced

Food Truck Legislation Introduced

If passed, Senate Bill 5218 will reduce costs for the state’s mobile food vendors

By Lori Johnson, Washington State Food Truck Association

A new bill has been introduced into the 2019 State Legislature. Senate Bill 5218, which if passed, will make food truck vending across county lines significantly more cost effective and efficient for mobile food vendors. The bill has been referred to the Senate - Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Parks Committee, which is where food safety bills are considered in the Senate.

In all local health jurisdictions in Washington, a mobile food vendor must obtain an Operating Permit. The first part of this 2-part permit process requires the mobile food vendor to complete and submit 2- copies of a Plan Review Application, which describes in great detail exactly how the vendor will safely operate. The Plan Review Application (usually around 30-pages), requires some of the information listed below:

• A Business Plan.

• An approved commissary kitchen location, with signed use agreement.

• Commissary kitchen procedures.

• A list of all equipment inside the mobile unit.

• Proof of appropriate restroom access.

• Menu (detailed list of all foods and beverages to be served).

• Food & water sourcing information.

• Wastewater disposal information.

• Flow chart (step-by-step for each menu item), showing: food storage, food prep, food portioning or packaging, cold holding or hot holding for transport and handling.

• Site or itinerary information (planned vending locations)

• Mobile food unit building plans, including: scaled drawings & photos with dimensions and layout/floor plan.

• Detailed drawings of the onboard water system.

• List of cleanable materials within the mobile unit, and what they are made of.

• Provide the make and model numbers for all equipment inside the mobile unit.

• An L & I insignia sticker (i.e., proof of Labor & Industry approval).

• Operating procedures, including: hours of

operation, tank maintenance, set-up and take down, and the cleaning schedule. Currently, a Plan Review has an average one-time fee of ($500 - $860 per jurisdiction), and the requirements are found in our state food code. Additional costs to the vendor are incurred due to the time required to complete the lengthy application, travel to the inspection location, as well as potential opportunity cost from being unable to vend during the part of the day required for the inspection. After the Plan Review has been completed and approved, which can take between 4 - 8 weeks, the mobile food vendor then applies for the Annual Operating Permit ($725 - $1,750 per year, per jurisdiction).

If passed into law, this Plan Review reciprocity bill will result in a positive fiscal impact to mobile food vendors due to a reduction in plan review fees, it would eliminate the costs associated with travel time and opportunity costs incurred while obtaining the Plan Review approvals in neighboring local health jurisdictions, it would eliminate the need to maintain commissary kitchens in other jurisdictions ($1,000 to $2,000 per month, in each jurisdiction) and it would benefit event planner and organizers, by creating a larger pool of mobile food vendors who can more readily cross county lines.

If you would like to tell the legislature that you support this bill (SB-5218), here’s a link to do so: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill//5218