OLYMPIA, WA – Food trucks are becoming more and more popular in Whatcom County, and a new bill in the Washington State House of Representatives could make it easier for them to do business.

State Rep. Vincent Buys (R-Lynden) introduced a bill into the state House on Jan. 10 aiming to make it easier for food trucks to operate.

He said the current health code regulations related to food trucks date back to the 1970s, when these trucks did not commonly have the equipment necessary to be up to code. Most food trucks didn’t have sanitization equipment, handwashing stations, running water or the necessary refrigeration equipment to keep food at the required temperatures.

“Currently, every food truck is required to do most of their food preparation in an actual commercial kitchen, which is considered a commissary kitchen,” Buys said.

This level of regulation is no longer necessary, Buys said.

“If it’s got all the sanitary requirements that the health department requires onboard your facility, there’s no reason to have that redundancy,” he said.

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