Food Trucks Required to Display Letter Grades

The mobile food operation inspections will be the same as restaurants

Food trucks in San Diego County will now strive just for more than becoming the next hit fusion food trend after a County decision Wednesday to go ahead with a new letter grading system.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved Wednesday an ordinance that would give letter grades to San Diego’s food trucks.

The trucks will be subject to the same health inspection letter grades as restaurants in the fall of this year.

The nearly 550 mobile food trucks in San Diego have become increasingly popular, with each one promising something more indulgent or unique than the last. They appear at microbreweries, neighborhood music festivals and art shows.

The introduction of the ordinance adopted Wednesday will go into effect if the Board approves the rest of the ordinance next week. The Department of Environmental Health will then start working with cities to adopt the system.

All the new standards will be in place before the end of the year.

The county inspects approximately 1,100 of the region’s mobile food operations, 550 of which sell to the public. However, they are not required to display the results, said County Supervisor Ron Roberts in a previous article.

“We're already inspecting these trucks, so I don't want anybody in the public to panic and think anything is unsafe," he said. "What will change is, you will know what that rating is. You will know when it was inspected."

The ordinance is supported by the San Diego County Restaurant Association. Most food truck owners say they're on board too. 

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