Health Director Proposes Food Handling License Price Increase

Health Inspector Warren Hehl suggested upping the price of health fees for food handling licenses at yesterday's township committee meeting, as Cranford's fees are lower than average for towns in the area.

His suggestions come out of a survey he conducted of around 20 municipalities, which he began in October, he said. 

 "Last year the Township Committee and the Board of Health asked me to research raising licensing fees for retail food establishments," he explained in an interview after the meeting. "We haven't had an increase since 1999."

For retail food establishments, Hehl suggested rating restaurants based on four "risk categories." Berkley Heights, Clark and Union use a similar system, Hehl added. If the township adopted it, restaurants would pay for licenses based on how much food preparation they do. The less cooking involved, the less the licenses cost.

For the "prepackaged or non-hazardous" food category, of which convenience stores would be grouped, the suggested license fee is $100. A "limited food preparation" category is reserved for places that don't do a lot of reheating or cooking, such as a Starbucks. These places would pay $150 for a license, Hehl explained.

Full-service restaurants and diners would be grouped under "extensive food preparation" and would pay $175 for the license. Another category is reserved for eateries that use more extensive cooking techniques, like sushi eateries that might smoke fish or use an acidification process for sushi rice. Hehl suggested that these places be grouped under "extensive food preparation plus processing," and charged $200.

If Hehl's suggestions are used, it would mean a radical switch. Under the current system, establishments are charged a flat $75 for a license if any kind of food preparation is done. For businesses under 30 square feet who sell prepackaged foods, its $30, and for under 30 square feet, it's $45, according to the survey data.

After Hehl completed his presentation of the results, Public Safety Commissioner David Robinson said he thought Hehl's proposed increases were too high. He added that license fee increases might serve as a deterrent for retail eateries considering opening shop in-town.

"That's' something we want to encourage in Cranford," Robinson said. In order to come to a conclusion about licensing requirements, Hehl and Robinson made plans to meet in the future and find a compromise.

In addition to retail establishments, Hehl also suggested fee increases for vending machines, temporary and mobile food businesses.

He asked that the fee-per-vending machine be raised to $25 from Cranford's initial $10, explaining that the average unit cost among municipalities surveyed is $37.

Hehl also proposed Cranford raise its permit price for food vendors at fairs and other outdoor events from $25 to $50. That's due to the fact that in his survey data, the municipal average is $61, he added.

Meanwhile 18 municipalities, including Cranford, license mobile food establishments as well. Of these, the average price for the license is $114 while Cranford charges $75. For that reason, Hehl suggested Cranford raise the price to $100.