Food trucks roll into Minhang under new registration scheme
A food truck operator serves curry.
An official with the Minhang District Administration for Market Regulation makes a food-safety inspection at one of the vehicles.
Two food truck operators prepare food.
Fourteen food trucks have started operations in Minhang District under a temporary registration mechanism, according to market regulators.
Such businesses cannot be licensed as restaurants, but they are allowed to operate under a separate registration scheme, which is the first of its kind in the district, the Minhang District Administration for Market Regulation said.
The electrically operated vehicles do business in open areas of the Aegean Place Shopping Mall. Their operators use steamers and frying pans for cooking, and foods are placed in disposable containers to serve customers.
One vehicle serves stinky tofu.
All waste oil and garbage are cleaned and transported by exclusive sanitation companies.
Refrigeration is pre-installed, and operators are required to install oil and smoke purification devices on the roofs of the vehicles if the foods they sell have strong odors, said Sun Puqing, operator of the food truck project.
One such vehicle selling stinky tofu has been equipped with a pipe to absorb smells, in addition to an oil and smoke purifier.
A business operator cooks food inside a vehicle.
Such businesses have proven successful in Shandong and Anhui provinces, where food vehicles are located in open public spaces around shopping centers, said Sun.
The food trucks in Shanghai are also controlled to avoid homogeneous competition, he said.
The rents for these vehicle businesses are much lower than booths inside shopping malls, and all vacancies were quickly occupied, said Sun.
After selection, they started operation in June.
Two women prepare food inside a vehicle.
Guo Haili and Bian Shiyin, both in their 20s, quit their jobs in human resources and opened a 10-square-meter food truck to sell latiao, or spicy dried tofu jerky.
"On workdays, the business is so-so, but it's okay on weekends," said Guo. "We may suffer a loss in the first month, but we are confidant."
"The first step is always difficult," she said. "We will work hard to make the store gain popularity and the business will turn better and better, without doubt."
Many of the requirements for vehicle-bound operators are the same as other businesses with food operation licenses, said Hua Jue, deputy director of the Hongqiao Market Regulation Station.
They are banned from selling raw aquatic products, sashimi, salads, freshly made juices, dairy products and cakes to ensure food safety. Inspections will be conducted periodically to check whether they take proper measures to ensure food safety or change the scope of their business, said Hua.
One of the vehicle serves curry.
