Plano staff propose codifying local food code, add new requirements for mobile vendors and date-marking

Plano environmental health staff on March 25 presented a package of proposed revisions to the city's food code intended to clarify requirements, align local rules with state standards and the FDA Model Food Code, and adopt a single local code numbering system.

The proposed ordinance would codify Plano's local food code in full, incorporate the minimum requirements of the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER) and the FDA Model Food Code, and adopt a uniform local numbering scheme, Rachel Patterson, director of environmental health and sustainability, told the City Council. "The recommendation from our legal department is to codify the Plano food code as in its entirety," Patterson said.

Patterson said Plano currently regulates about 1,835 permitted food establishments, from restaurants to grocery stores and hospitals, and that the city's permit count has grown in the last two years. She described a multi-step outreach effort that included postcards, e-mails, two in-person meetings, one virtual meeting and an online presentation; city staff reported 223 views of the video and 461 views of the change summary document.

The staff presentation listed several categories of…