Food Trucks May Get Graded, Too

There may be a new weapon in Fort Greene's —letter grades.

The New York Post reports that food carts such as Food Freaks and Milk Truck may be subject to the same letter grading system as brick-and-mortar restaurants from the city Health Department.

State Sen. Jose Peralta, D-Jackson Heights, will introduce a measure in Albany requiring local health departments to include outdoor food vendors in the letter grading system. Currently, the city does not publish online inspection results for carts and trucks.

“Consumers should know if what they are eating meets certain safety standards,” Peralta told the Post. “If they have an ‘A,’ you’ll eat there. If they have a ‘C,’ maybe not.”

Inspections could give a boost or a dip to new trucks, like that parked on Washington Ave and Park Place this summer. And fines may impact whether or not the during the spring and summer.

Brick-and-mortar restaurants and cafes will surely be happy to see this new legislation pass, though, as they have had to abide by letter grades since their introduction in July 2010.

This is not the only obstacle food trucks are facing. Crain's reported Sunday on the many governmental hurdles truck owners must jump over in order to stay in business.

In Carroll Gardens, one

“Would I open a truck business today?” Treats Truck owner Kim Ima told Crain's. “There's no way. I'm doing everything I can to keep this thing afloat.”