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Q&A
Discussion on supervisory license system and the role of commissaries in food vending
1:10:55
·
145 sec
Council Member Sanchez inquires about the transition to the supervisory license system for food vendors and the importance of commissaries in ensuring food safety for street vending operations.
- Deputy Commissioner Schiff explains the timeline for transitioning to supervisory licenses by 2032
- The critical role of commissaries in food vending safety is discussed, including storage, cleaning, and food preparation
- Emphasis is placed on the need for commissary expansion to support any increase in food vending licenses
Pierina Sanchez
1:10:55
My first question is for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene based on some conversations that I've had with supermarkets and brick and mortar businesses, just point of clarity, do all current licenses and permits, will they all eventually be replaced into the supervisory system?
1:11:36
Thank you.
1:11:37
I hope you all heard that.
1:11:39
Okay.
1:11:42
Regarding commissaries, understood from your testimony a number of concerns around commissary space, the availability.
1:11:49
Can you just share a little bit about what the landscape looks like and the role of commissaries in helping to keep food that is vended on our streets safe?
Corinne Schiff
1:11:15
So the way that local law 18 works is by 2020 02/1932, July '2 thousand and '30 '2, all full term, so that's year round, permits other than green cards will become supervisory license permits.
1:11:35
Great.
1:12:00
Yes, and thank you for highlighting this point because it's important as the council considers expansion of food vending to consider the role of commissary.
1:12:12
So as I said in my testimony, both state and city law require that a food vendor be associated with a commissary, and that is because it's a very important part of food protection.
1:12:26
Our food carts and trucks need to be stored in a commissary.
1:12:31
They need to be cleaned in a commissary.
1:12:33
There are some FDNY rules about storage at a commissary that I will leave the FDNY to address.
1:12:42
And many food vendors rely on commissaries for food preparation.
1:12:47
There are other places where you can prepare food if it's at a commercial permitted kitchen, but many food vendors do use the permitted commissary kitchen for that food preparation.
1:12:59
All of that is very important.
1:13:01
Cleaning, we don't want carts left out on the street.
1:13:04
That's a pest control risk.
1:13:06
There's a food contamination risk.
1:13:09
We don't want people hosing down food carts on the street.
1:13:13
So the expansion of commissaries is really a key part of considering any expansion of