BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Food vendors who help raise money for high school clubs and athletics in Kern County say state permit requirements could end their participation in campus fundraising events.
At Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, two food vendors spoke during public comment about permit changes they say will irreparably damage donations to students.
According to area food vendor AnaKaren Muguia, Owner of Aguas Karen, she and many other vendors take part in club food sale days at Kern High School District schools throughout the year, where proceeds go to individual clubs and athletics. Now, that's changed.
"We were notified by the health department that we are no longer allowed to step foot on campus if we work under a canopy, meaning that if we have a TFF, a temporary food facility, we cannot sell unless we have a mobile unit," Karen said.
The issue stems from the state's retail food code, which requires community events like farmers' markets or high school club food sale days to obtain a specific permit to allow temporary food facilities to sell on-site.
"Each location would be responsible, because it's based upon essentially what facilities and amenities that they have available to the vendors and who is organizing and being responsible for that on behalf of that site," said Amy Rutledge, assistant director of Kern County Public Health.
While a farmers' market is stationary and only requires one permit, food sale days within the district go from school to school across a variety of campuses. Each campus requires its own permit costing $1,300.
Gabriel Gonzalez with Carniceria Gonzalez says the cost is exorbitant for fundraising events, and enforcement of the law will ultimately hurt students in these clubs.
"That's roughly around $23,000 to $25,000 that the district needs to come up with just so they could pull the community permit per location," Gonzalez said. "I want a resolution to this and ultimately to benefit the students. To benefit the students more than anything, because some clubs, this is all the fundraising that they get through the whole school year."
Rutledge says the department is aware of the situation and is currently working on a solution that complies with the letter of the law.
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