Health Dept. Official: Food Truck Letter Grades 'Should Be a Reality'

"Potentially so, yes," said Matthew Rhodes, deputy director of Louisville Metro Department of Health & Wellness, when asked if he saw food trucks being able to receive letter grades as brick-and-mortar restaurants do. "We have discussed some of the pros and cons. Just the primary concern is that they are a mobile operation. And if we can overcome that obstacle, which I think that we can, it should be a reality sometime in the near future."

In mid-August, food truck operators and health department representatives met for the second time in the wake of WAVE 3 Troubleshooter (pew pew) Eric Flack's reports about possible health-code concerns involving food trucks.
"We just talked about different things that would be required in order for them [the trucks] to comply with A-B-C regulations, as well as some policy changes that would be necessary on our part and some programatic concerns," Rhodes said.

Previously Jesse Huot of Grind Gourmet Burger Truck, who attended the gathering, described it as "kind of silly." Huot said, "It was like, 'We're kind of thinking about deciding to talk about getting letters in the future.' It was really vague. They didn't want to schedule another meeting."

Rhodes confirmed that while no meeting between the health department and food truck operations has been scheduled, his department will discuss the issue internally this week. "We've been quite busy since the state fair and it's just been as issue that we have not gotten back to," he said.

"We want to make sure when we do it, that it's done in an efficient and productive manner," Rhodes said.

Rhodes said that while the department has not yet examined how other cities have addressed posting of placards in food trucks, it has gotten the perspective of local truck operators who've worked in other cities.

·All Meals on Wheels News [~ELOU~]
·All DOH Chronicles [~ELOU~]

[Photos: Courtesy Facebook/Louisville Street Food Alliance, Twitter/Louisville Food Truck Association, Louisville Metro Government and WAVE 3]