The popularity of food trucks across the country has shot up over recent years, and in Mississippi, it is no different.
As curbside cuisine rolls into various cities around the state, the municipal governments have toyed with various regulations that could be for various reasons; such as protecting the longstanding brick-and-mortar restaurants.
This was the topic of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Freedom Minute, held on Friday, November 1.
The video, hosted by Brett Kittredge of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, discussed how food truck regulations are not only bad for consumers but often couldn’t be held up in the court.
“Especially Tupelo has been contemplating new regulations going on for the past year,” said Kittredge.
“They definitely can’t do just whatever they want,” said Aaron Rice with the Mississippi Justice Institute. “At a minimum, any regulation they pass must be related to a specific government purpose to withstand a legal challenge.”
“Trying to decide what kind of food can be served at what time by what size truck, to me, that’s not really government’s role,” said Jon Pritchett, CEO for the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
The panel agreed that consumers should decide where to eat and communities should welcome the competition of having more options.
