Blitz puts street vendors in doghouse for violations

24.aug.06
Toronto Star
Anna Piekarski

Tickets were issued to almost one in four hot dog cart operators during a spot check at the beginning of the month - some for sanitation violations, others for smoking cigarettes while cooking.
Jim Chan, manager of the Toronto Public Health food safety program, was quoted as saying, "The tickets are usually for safety violations."
City health inspectors blitzed the downtown core Aug. 2 and 3. They checked 39 carts and gave tickets to nine operators, closing one down because it didn't have water and a basin for hand washing.
"No water constitutes a health hazard," Chan said, explaining that every cart must have a sink with hot and cold water for handwashing.
One operator didn't have a proper approved thermometer, and another cart was found to be unsanitary.
Toronto has licensed more than 400 carts for operation. Last summer, 30 operators were charged with violating regulations, and two were closed down.
The city regularly receives complaints about hot dog carts, said Gus Michaels, a supervisor in the municipal licensing and standards division.
"Usually the complaints are from one hot dog vendor against another, " Michaels said. Complaints result in a visit by an inspector. Each cart must be licensed, and the vendor must have a permit.
Public Health also receives quite a few calls, Chan said, but no distinct statistics are kept since cart complaints aren't distinguished from those that are received about stores and restaurants.
The carts are allowed to serve only hot dogs and sausages that are pre-cooked, Chan said.
Vendors aren't permitted to cook foods like hamburgers or chicken because they do not have proper refrigeration.
Most use a cooler with ice to keep their products cold.