Concerns about the nutritional value of products sold by Invercargill’s food trucks have been raised by the National Public Health Service.
But Invercargill City Council says it isn’t tasked with assessing the food sold by vendors, and incentivising healthy options is not within its powers.
The views of both parties have been shared in a council report following consultation on an environmental health bylaw which underwent a hearing on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, the council asked the public about proposed food truck locations and received “significant” positive feedback.
But just two submissions were received during consultation, one of which came from the National Public Health Service.
The service supported the bylaw but challenged the council to consider its role in improving and promoting public health.
“It is our view that food sold in mobile shops in Invercargill tends to be processed, high in fat and, in some cases, sugar,” NPHS regional director Vince Barry wrote.
“They also tend to operate in locations where there are few or no other food options.”
Barry acknowledged vendors needed to be located in ways which limited competition, but believed people in remote locations were often left with limited choice.
Half of the pre-approved locations for Invercargill were in areas of high deprivation, he said.
The submission recommended the council incentivise healthy food options, giving the example of food trucks in Chicago paying a reduced licensing fee if they sold fruit and vegetables.
The council responded in a report prepared for its hearing that its role under the Food Act was to ensure food was safe, and health factors were not considered.
The council said recommendations relating to healthy food options fell outside of the intention for the bylaw.
A suggestion from the health service that vendors provide their own rubbish bins was deemed “appropriate and feasible”, however, and included as a recommended amendment.
In relation to the low turnout of submitters, council manager environmental services Gillian Cavanagh said relevant organisations and businesses were made aware of the consultation.
The review of technical documents did not generally attract a high number of submissions, she said.
A total 184 responses were received earlier in the year when the council asked where people wanted to see food trucks.
“The comparatively lower number of submissions on the bylaw is an indication that the public are happy with the changes proposed as a result of the earlier engagement process.”
Proposed amendments to the bylaw are focused on compliance, enforcement and monitoring.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air