BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE)- Bernalillo County is warning people to watch out for unlicensed food vendors. This week, the county has shut down two operations in the South Valley, they said they were putting the public at risk. “Lack of food safety knowledge, improper temperature control, open food,” said Kell Platero, Health Protection Manager with Bernalillo County.
Those are some of the issues that Bernalillo County is warning people about as they deal with what they call “unsafe and unsanitary” mobile food vendors. “We’re out there make sure they have proper permits licenses and that why are following general food safety practices,” said Platero.
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Just this week, the county ordered three “pop-up” food vendors to cease operation, including one near Rio Bravo and Coors, and another near Rio Bravo and Isleta. On top of not having permits, the county said the vendors were operating unsafely, with problems like a lack of proper hand washing, and a lack of temperature control for food issues that can lead to foodborne illnesses.
“CDC estimates about 48 million food-borne illnesses per year associated with about 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths per year. So that’s our goal. To protect the public from food-borne illnesses,” said Platero.
They are asking the public to inform them if they come across one of these vendors. People can look for a green sticker on food trucks, or a yellow sticker on pop-up stands or they can ask the vendor to see their permit.
The county says resources are available to help businesses come into compliance. “We do provide classes and education for people who want to operate a business. We offer that to anyone. To any association group such as the South Valley Development Center,” he said.
They are asking the public to inform them if they come across one of these vendors. People can look for a green sticker on food trucks, or a yellow sticker on pop-up stands or they can ask the vendor to see their permit.