The Philadelphia Mobile Food Association (PMFA) is a trade association that brings together local street food companies in Philadelphia. Founded by Dan Pennachietti and Andrew Gerson, the PMFA provides organizational, legal and advertising support to food truck owners operating in the area. This organization has been a key factor in reforming street vending laws and pushing the industry to where it is today. The PMFA team uses a scoring system to evaluate how well the trucks meet the requirements and then visits them to check the accuracy of the applications.
Diana Minkus, senior associate of The Food Trust's Night Market food truck program, was thrilled about the collaboration with The Food Trust due to their shared vision of creating a healthier food environment in Philadelphia. The criteria for “healthy” were formulated with the help of health professionals, food truck owners and Penn nutrition teachers. Minkus also connected the group to the PMFA, of which he is a board member, so that students could present their initiative to food truck vendors across the city to get feedback and recruit participants. Thanks to customizable features, executives can create their own account, add a credit card and let their employees order whatever they want at the food stand or set spending limits. The partnership between The Food Trust and PMFA came about two years ago by chance. A colleague found a brochure about HFTI on the Penn campus and passed it to Minkus, who realized that the initiative shared The Food Trust's mission to improve public access to healthy food. The PMFA has been essential in uniting affordable food vendors in food trucks, reforming street vending laws, and helping push the industry forward.
With customizable features, executives can create their own account, add a credit card and let their employees order whatever they want at the food stand or set spending limits. Thanks to this organization, Philadelphia now has access to healthier food options.
