Farmer's Market / Food Sales Permit

[GS_Dirtboy]

Does anyone know what is required to get a permit to sell prepared food at the local farmer's markets? Also, why are there not many more street food vendors with carts or trucks?

Thanks in advance.

GS

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

There are more certificates around the production of the food than there are around selling it, i.e. where are you making it and under what hygiene regime.

I did ask the BA market that you see advertised here for their requirements to be involved, although there are some small independents there are more large corporations (zelda olive oil) and fairly well established producers monopolising it. Definitely not an open market.

Food trucks are illegal unless on private ground, you see them for private events but cannot move around at will. The licensing regime isnt in place to facilitate them. There is a food truck facebook page, cant remember what its called but you could find it easily enough.

In short, food carts are restricted by legislation and the markets (market?) that exist are not geared up for entry level artesanal products. If yiu are going for something organic maybe call down to the galpon organico nr fed la croze station on sat and ask around. I'd say yiu'll get more out of them than BA food market crowd.

 

[Rich One]

All you may need to know for City Permits

http://www.cedom.gov.ar/es/legislacion/poderdepolicia/viapublica/index2.html

 

[Davidglen77]

I had a friend in Argentina, a trained chef who worked at several restaurants in Palermo. Tired of the long hours and medocre pay in someone else's kitchen, he started doing home delivery / catering using a small truck he purchased. Not only did he get stopped by the police, truckers union (Moyano) for not being registered with the truckers union, the food was confiscated and they threatened to impound his truck, and when he made some mozzarella / tomato / basil sandwiches to sell at the street fair in San Telmo, he was threatened by other street vendors and told by some other people that he had to pay the equivalent of "street rent" to sell there. Maybe this is why more people don't venture out on their own in food carts. Argentina is "unique" when it comes to doing any type of business.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

I assumed that one needs a license to sell food in any form here and that one needs to pay something to set up a stand at a street fair. Don't know about trucker's union. Lot's of people do it so it can't be impossible.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

I had a friend in Argentina, a trained chef who worked at several restaurants in Palermo. Tired of the long hours and medocre pay in someone else's kitchen, he started doing home delivery / catering using a small truck he purchased. Not only did he get stopped by the police, truckers union (Moyano) for not being registered with the truckers union, the food was confiscated and they threatened to impound his truck, and when he made some mozzarella / tomato / basil sandwiches to sell at the street fair in San Telmo, he was threatened by other street vendors and told by some other people that he had to pay the equivalent of "street rent" to sell there. Maybe this is why more people don't venture out on their own in food carts. Argentina is "unique" when it comes to doing any type of business.

Your friend should have done some research. He thought he could wander out into the street without being licensed and sell whatever he wanted ?

Argentina is a pain for food entrepreneurs, but some people don't help themselves. If I decided to set up shop in downtown Manhattan do you think I could just take whatever pitch I wanted without city licensing and pitching up beside the competition?

Come on.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Davidglenn77,

Did your friend have all of his licenses when he had the bad experiences?

GS

 

[Davidglen77]

There are no licenses required for home based businesses run by a sole proprietor. The only requirement is that you be registered as monotributo at the required level based on your income and "actividad comercial", and, if you have employees, that they be registered with AFIP & ANSES. He was up to date on his monotributo, car insurance / patente all up to date, but remember in Argentina there are official taxes and the unofficial taxes AKA bribes. If you have a commercial business, such as a factory or store front, you need habilitación municipal to operate.
And there are plenty of street vendors without licenses that sell everything from candy to empanadas to clothes and the reason they are there day after day is because they either pay bribes to the inspectors to look the other way and protection money to the street mafias....walk around San Telmo on a Sunday or better yet along Av. Pueyrredon between Rivadavia & Corrientes, and that is just a small part of it.
Without a doubt Argentina is one of the most business unfriendly countries on the planet, remember you are talking to someone who owned a fully legal en blanco business in Argentina, and some of you know and some may not know what my experience was, here's the story for those who are interested: www.escrachados.com