Healthy nutrition, stacked odds.

Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” exposed the working conditions and sanitary practices of the food industry during the late 1800’s, specifically in the meat packing houses of Chicago’s east side. This was a critical moment in American history and set a precedent which prompted federal regulation of how our food was handled and processed to eventually land on your plate. This was done through the Food and Drug act established by the work of President Theodore Roosevelt. One hundred years later, the residual impact of similar laws, paired with laws created for the regulation of public ways in Los Angeles, impede much opportunity for the Los Angeles vending market; clearly a possible income resource for many Angelinos.
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Mark Vallianatos from Occidental’s Urban & Environmental Policy Institute, with P.E.L.A members, meet Gregg Kettles. Gregg Kettles, visiting faculty for Loyola Law, studies public policy governing the use of public ways, zoning ordinances and county health code dictating food delivery systems in Los Angeles. This includes the L.A. taco trucks, street vending and alternative methods of food delivery.
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As a part of P.E.L.A’s concern for food networking and delivery systems, we sat in a presentation by Gregg on this subject and discussed the obstacles we will face in regard to the distribution of food in South LA. His findings are highly insightful and reveal the ironies and idiosyncrasies of navigating the bureaucratic network of L.A.
Professor Kettles’ lecture, entitled “Regulating for Healthy Nutrition”, assesses four areas which present problems in L.A.’s street vending network:
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1. Make room on the streets.
2. Make room in block centers
3. Shaping and channeling demand
4. Shaping and channeling supply
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Notes of interest include the fact that County Health, City Zoning and the Dept. of Public Works all dictate the market for street vending, acting independently from one another, while the police department acts to enforce the regulations enacted by these offices. Their disjunction is cause for a complicated and costly permitting process that discourages legal street vending.
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Conversely, this same disjunction also encourages “black market” vending with grey areas not enforced by LAPD. Consequently, vendors are working outside municipal regulations. This is an opportunity for the carts to operate on market demands where creativity and adaptability could thrive, producing largely successful operations and alternative food cultures. However, the affordability of food, limited nutrition education and a small amount of exposure to the diverse food cultures of L.A. yield products that should only be consumed in moderation. (as the USDA food pyramid encourages)
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The end result:
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Get your hot dogs!
Bacon wrapped hot dogs!

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