As Library Mall food vendors pack up for the winter, a number of these business owners have been slapped with health violations in the past year. The possible consequences of these violations include being relocated from Library Mall and suspending or revocking vending licenses.

In addition to the laws that apply to restaurants, food vendors must meet additional provisions, most importantly having a service base to obtain and dispose of water. If vendors fail to meet certain health codes, such as washing hands and proper refridgeration, they are kicked off Library Mall. Other violations do not necessarily incite the same punishment.

Doug Voegeli, the environmental-health-services supervisor at the Madison Public Health Department, said that while food vendors consistently have health violations, there are no vendors in particular that stand out.

“The most common violations include the temperature of the food and hand washing,” Voegeli said.

In addition, he said vendors have recently been meeting the necessary requirements.

“But the last time we went through and did inspections, they all met the requirements,” he said.

Voegeli says that although these health violations do occur, the chances of a student or other consumer becoming sick are slim.

“The biggest worry I have is if someone would pick something up and not keep it refrigerated,” Voegeli said. “If it’s hot food, buying something at a Library Mall vendor, going to a few classes and then eating it later is probably not a good idea.”

Last month, Library Mall vendor Asian Foods was stripped of its location of 14 years and required to move to Capitol Square, due in part to health violations. Each year the city conducts a review of all food vendors. Vendors can gain points for seniority and can lose points for health-code citations.

“There are food vendors who successfully manage to stay in (the) same spot year after year after year, because they are high-quality and are doing something different,” said Warren Hansen, Madison Street-Vending Coordinator. “It does seem to be the American way that competition is good.”

In the recent past, no food carts have been found to have significant health violations, which include violations of safe food storage, selling non-personally prepared food and permitting an unauthorized person to vend food from a cart.