A controversial new regulation could make it more expensive for food vendors to operate in the city.
It aims to bring San Francisco in alignment with a 2022 bill that updated California’s Retail Food code. That law decriminalized street food vendors and established rules for their business.
The city's proposed regulation would sort street food vendors into low, moderate, and high risk categories.
Low risk vendors are defined as those who offer prepackaged foods like chips and bottled drinks. Moderate risk vendors may offer food with limited preparation like cut fruit and tamales. High risk vendors are those who prepare raw meat, raw poultry, or raw fish for purchase.
Under the new regulation, operations determined to be “high risk” would require vendors to purchase new mobile serving units with handwashing stations. Vendors who prepare food would also be required to do that in a commissary kitchen.
Vendors and advocates say that these proposed regulations would add tens of thousands in annual costs. At the Budget and Finance Committee meeting last week, dozens of vendors urged the supervisors to amend the regulation to support vendors financially in the transition.
Josh Acobo is a director with Neustra Casa — an organization which supports street vendors in the Mission. He spoke at last week’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting.
“As this legislation currently stands, vendors face a crushing financial hurdle,” he said. “A population earning an average of about $2,000 in monthly revenue would be expected to absorb an enormous cost, essentially overnight.”
He said that without financial support, the new regulations could act as a de-facto ban.
Many vendors are asking the city to establish a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) program. This program would allow vendors to prepare food in their home kitchen and avoid the recurring costs associated with renting space in a commissary kitchen.
The regulation would also allow the Department of Public Health to create a taskforce with the Public Works, Police and Fire Departments to enforce the new rules.
The Budget and Finance Committee will vote on amendments to the regulation tomorrow at 10am.
If it passes, the Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on it in March.
