The new ordinance that would require canopies over fruits and vegetables displayed outside and disallow the display of items that don't need to be peeled ("Veggie stand rule OK'd, July 7) is ridiculous. Does the City Council not realize that fruits and vegetables grow outside? They should be washed before eating even if they don't have bird droppings on them.
It appears to me that Councilor Sally Collura just doesn't like the look of the fruits and vegetables on the sidewalk, and came up with this absurd concern about food safety to win support. Moreover, if this ordinance does not also apply to farmers' market vendors, who display tomatoes and other such vegetables outside with no awning, it seems discriminatory against the ethnic markets on Moody Street.
TERESA ESCH, Waltham
