Comments on: Reusable Containers and the Law

By: Chris King

Chris King — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:46:38 +0000

Here is the idea. Of course it won’t work for every situation and the local codes need to be addressed.

http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/512462-University_of_Vermont_launches_Eco_Ware_reusable_take_out_container_program.php?rssid=20539

By: amy

amy — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:50:48 +0000

@ Sally Bell –I hope you will indeed post more on this (and email me! see below). I’ve stumbled upon this page in researching this topic for myself. I live in Massachusetts.

Currently I just don’t get take out any more, because I dislike the packaging so much. I very much want to support my local businesses, but not at the cost of the planet and our future. Help! We NEED legal solutions.

If anyone has viable solutions, please email me! I’m all ears: amy –at– valleycafe.com

By: Sally Bell

Sally Bell — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Folks!

There is a pilot for a reusable container program going on right now for the downtown food carts, which completely follows health code. More details to follow as the originator works out the kinks, but it’s an exciting shift in decreasing our food cart waste stream! More soon!

By: interestedplayer

interestedplayer — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:37:41 +0000

What if foodcarts offered “to-go on a plate” which allows the customer to put the food themselves into their own dish. That way they aren’t serving to another persons dish, but a pre-washed plate. I realize that there should be consideration toward the cost to the foodcart on washing all those plates, the plates themselves, and storing them in such a small space. Would there be a cost-benefit to it? Maybe that’s an auxiliary side business. Clean plates and washing for food carts

By: stellas

stellas — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:49:29 +0000

Lol brick-and-morter indeed!!!!

By: Ian

Ian — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:12:57 +0000

Dishwasher–

You might want to check with, oh, just about every other country in the world, to see if food carts/vendors/hawkers/etc. are a “passing fad”. The only reason it seems unusual here in Portland, and therefore might possibly be misconstrued as “a fad,” is because so many U.S. cities have adopted such arcane and anti-competitive laws when it comes to this brilliant and economical form of food service. Something I bet/hope will change as other cities take note of their success under Portland’s relatively sane/liberal approach to the idea.

Most American cities have underused, otherwise unfortunate urban parking lots, and cart “pods” offer an economical, almost immediately-implementable way to return life and use to these otherwise urban-life-deadspots. No, not every cart in Portland will survive, just like not every restaurant will. But as something the rest of the world has shown can become an integral part of local culture and economics, some form of low-rent, direct cook-owner-to-customer relationship creating form of serving great food at reasonable prices will always exist.

Can we infer you’re in the brick-and-mortar restaurant biz?

By: Eli

Eli — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:06:41 +0000

@Dishwasher
“and the question will soon be moot.”

Even assuming that your stats are correct, wouldn’t the # have to drop 100% for the question to be moot?

By: JayinPortland

JayinPortland — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:48:59 +0000

I would also love to hear, from Dishwasher, how the number of people who he / she claims to have gotten sick from food carts, compares to the numbers of people who’ve gotten sick from brick & mortar restaurants, from food they’ve bought from supermarkets, or from food they prepare in their own kitchens?

As someone who regularly writes on and follows food safety issues, “about” 31 cases in 2009, in a city of almost 600,000 people and region of over 2.15 million, is positively infinitesimal when one considers the bigger picture.

By: dieselboi

dieselboi — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:12:48 +0000

Dishwasher. I am not sure where you are getting your numbers, but according to Multnomah county, the number of carts actually increased by 30% in 2009 to a total of 442. That’s right from the horse’s mouth.

By: Dishwasher

Dishwasher — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:56:10 +0000

The number of food carts has already dropped 28% from a high in December 2008. Guess what? The fad is passing, and the question will soon be moot.

And in case you were wondering–yes, people have gotten sick from eating at local food carts in Portland. In 2009, about 31 cases total were reported. Health inspectors routinely fail food carts here, cite them, and return to find they’ve failed again.