Press

A state health crusade to bring refrigeration to barbecue stands could put on ice the colorful pushcarts that hawk everything from Italian sausages to meaty Mexican burritos.

New regulations went into effect last Friday requiring the streetside vendors who hawk sausages, steak tips and the like to keep those meats in a refrigerator before they hit the grill. The new rules also apply to canteen trucks and other mobile food vendors.

A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the regs were first drafted in 2000, but delayed for five years to give sidewalk grillers and others time to upgrade equipment. Public hearings were held.

Still, the harried short-order cooks, serving up sausages and burritos from an array of Downtown Crossing carts to hungry office workers and shoppers, were unaware of the new regulations when quizzed by a Herald reporter last week.

Mini refrigerators were not to be found. Rather, the sidewalk chefs stashed their sausages, chicken and beef in nearby coolers filled with ice packs.

"I didn't know about it - (even though) health officers are here three times a week," said Jeff Gridales, who manages an Italian sausage stand.

"The old fashioned way, plenty of ice, is the best thing to do," he said.

The colorful pushcart vendors outside Fenway Park, whose spirited cries fill the sausage-scented air before every home game, will also have to make some changes in how they do business.

The owner of The Sausage Guy, a well-known presence around the ballpark, is already resolved to spending some extra money.

Franchise owner David Littlefield noted that he has a pushcart that will have to comply with the new rules.

But Littlefield operates a small storefront Sausage Guy operation on Lansdowne Street, giving him a nearby refrigeration option other ballpark vendors don't have available.

Still, Littlefield plans to buy a small refrigerator for his pushcart since it does business on the street outside other events.

That also means buying a propane generator to provide electricity.

While Littlefield lauded the new regulation's intent, he also noted that it comes atop a city ordinance passed a few years ago that forces two people to man each stand - one to cook, the other to handle the cash.

"I hope that for the sake of what we do at Fenway Park there will be a grace period and time for us to adapt to the changes," Littlefield said.