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Taco stands in danger

08:09 PM CDT on Thursday, July 26, 2007

By Karla Barguiarena / 11 News

The tougher state laws for mobile food stands take affect Sept. 1.

On the corner of Airline and Aldine Mail Road, Rosario Torres' fajita recipe has become a hit.

But come Sept. 1, Torres fears her success will hit a roadblock.

New state regulations that will force her to change the way she's run her business.

"It's very, very confusing for me. It's very problem,” said Torres.

Right now, Torres pays a company to come in and clean her stand three times a week.

With the new regulations, she'll have to drive it 20 miles to the nearest commissary every night.

"My business is not a big one to pay every day,” she said.

She'll also have to add extra insurance to cover the vehicle. It's time and money she says, she can't afford.

"It's really difficult to be moving the stand every single day,” said fellow taco stand owner Jose Lara.

Other taco stand owners are calling the changes monumental and unnecessary.

So together, they protested outside State Representative Dwayne Bohac's office. The Houston legislator is the one who first introduced the law.

"The intent of the law is to make sure that the mobile unit has been cleaned properly and on a regular daily basis,” said Bud Karachiwala of the Harris County Health Department.

Many mobile taco stand owners argue it's never good to judge a book by its cover.

"It's not how you see it from the outside you have to see it from the inside those are pretty clean places,” said Lara.

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