By ALICIA ROBINSON | PE.comRiverside now has new, stricter rules on food trucks that only allow the sale of pre-packaged food and drinks, but city officials said even if they wanted to allow trucks selling hot, fresh food, county regulations would prevent it.
Council members on Tuesday adopted the rules, which they said were prompted by concerns about ice cream trucks. The rules only allow hot food trucks at special events, and they forbid trucks from selling non-food items.
Gourmet trucks offering everything from buttermilk pancakes and lobster rolls to modern twists on ethnic staples have been wildly popular in Los Angeles and Orange counties, but they’ve stayed away from the Inland area because of health regulations.
Riverside County’s health department permits cooked foods such as hot dogs and popcorn, but otherwise limits vendors to packaged items.
A few residents opposed Riverside’s new rules, but City Attorney Greg Priamos said the city has to follow the hot truck ban because it has appointed the county to enforce health regulations.
