| Relation to the Authorities |
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| Written by Said Samir | |
| Sunday, 24 July 2005 | |
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Street food vendors, along with other
squatter market traders, are theoretically supervised by not less than four
different authorities: by the Market Control Police, (Mimstry of Interior), the
Health Department (Ministry of Health), by the Governorate and the Ministry of
Housing and Utilities.8 All vendors are required to possess food
selling licenses, but much of the food is sold without them. Describing the
situation in El Minya (Upper Egypt), TINKER notes the following: Cooked meats, fish, and vegetables, macaroni,
and salads are prohibited. Thus most sandwiches, including those based on fuul and tamaya should not be sold.
Enforcement appears to be particularly stringent against kushari sellers, perhaps because this item, along with sweets, is
higher priced. It is illegal to squeeze sugar cane or fruits on the street, and
also illegal to sell fresh juices or milk Ice cream selling is illegal if the
production unit is not licensed; thus selling home made ice cream is forbidden
(1993, 3).
In contradiction to official requirements, the issuing of licenses was suspended in 1964 (TADROS et al. 1990). The only certification available is a health certificate, which is still issued at public hospitals for a fee of LE 10. Commenting on this topic a vendor in Matariya stated: Its a no-problem procedure; as long as you pay the fees you can get this certificate, even if you are dead. A health certificate does not, however, protect a street food vendor from problems with official institutions. About two thirds of the vendors complained about harassments by the authorities, and almost half of them were fined at least once within the last year. In addition to the fines, which can easily go up to LE 100 and more, vendors must cope with the costs resulting from damages to both their infrastructure and their commodities after a campaign of confiscation (kibsa). Making matters worse, vendors suffer from a loss of income during the time spent at the police station, as well as being exposed to humiliations. Among those whose carts and commodities are confiscated, some are even not able to cope with the resulting economic crisis; they have to give up their business, and are forced to survive through other means (see HEITKÖTTER and KUPPINGER, this volume).9 |
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