Temple’s Best Mexican food truck, located at 13th and Norris Streets, was visited by a city inspector on Feb. 24. Owners must have permits and licenses, inspections done before a business is opened and every so often while in operation.

The Office of Food Protection requires truck owners to fill out a Mobile Food Vending Unit Plan that requires descriptions of physical materials, water supply and food preparation, among others. After this is approved, the owner must get their Food Safety Certification. After all of the paperwork is in order, the truck is inspected. If it passes, the owner is allowed to pursue more licenses, such as the required “Food Establishment, Retail Non-Permanent Location” license, which allows the owner to operate a retail food business that is not permanent.

Mike Milsted, a senior accounting major, visited Temple’s Best for lunch on Monday and said he saw the city inspector ask one of the truck’s workers to see their business license. The worker gave the inspector two papers, both of which were refused by the inspector because they were not the correct documents. When asked if the truck had a health inspection, the worker said that the truck had been previously taken in for inspection, but there was no paperwork provided.

Temple’s Best owner Herbert Mena was not at the truck during the inspector’s visit, but he assures that the truck has its business license and that it had undergone a health inspection.

“We took it in for the inspection, but the inspector hasn’t come out here to the truck yet to do their inspection,” Mena said. “They still have to give us the paperwork we need for that, and we do have a business license inside the truck.”

Milsted said he was pleased with his meal and didn’t find the inspector’s visit troubling.