Swampscott officials are reviewing the permitting and approval process that allowed a popup meat truck to operate in Vinnin Square last week.

The Board of Health discussed the social media-fueled promotion during its meeting Tuesday. Essential Foods Direct operated a popup meat sale in the parking lot outside the CVS Pharmacy from Sunday, June 21, through Tuesday, June 23. The company  advertised on Facebook – and through targeted ads,  Assistant Manager Gabe Seale told the Swampscott Tides – that a popup in Vinnin Square would sell 20 ribeye steaks for $40.

Swampscott Director of Health Jeff Vaughan said he received a permit application by mail just a few days before Essential Foods Direct planned to operate in town.

“It was pretty cut and dry,” Vaughan said. “Like most other places, I went down, took a look at them. They had a freezer truck…They had all the documentation…so from my point of view it was a safe food product. They had everything they needed to do for that permit.”

Vaughan noted the permit covered a setup on private property, adding that officials “eventually need to talk about (it) after the fact so we can all be better on board.”

Select Board Member Wayne Spritz, who is the liaison to the board of Health, said he is looking further into if Essential Foods Direct would have needed a Hawker and Peddler License, which authorizes individuals to travel place-to-place by vehicle and sell retail goods directly to the public.

“I’m trying to figure it out in the back end on what was done and what needs to be done and what holes there may be in the system,” Spritz said. “It’s something I’m looking into and want to hopefully deliberate at the next Select Board meeting to see what we need to do to strengthen what almost seems like someone kind of narrowly placed this entity in between – does it need a Hawker and Peddler License or does it not. It was very questionable, but I can see both sides.”

While Essential Foods Direct’s advertisement depicts large cuts of beef, the steaks shown to the Swampscott Tides were roughly palm-sized and less than a pinky finger thick. Seale said he and his team would not allow the Swampscott Tides to photograph the products because they wanted to preserve customers’ first impression of the deal.

“We try to make you not see it before you come into the tent,” Seale said. 

Without being prompted, Seale said the promotion was “not bait and switch.”

“People are coming in thinking they’re going to get a 20 oz,” Seale said, adding that people should expect the smaller sizes because “a Slim Jim costs $4 at the gas station.”

Essential Foods Direct operates similar popup meat sales across the country. The organization, which the Swampscott Tides learned is connected to other meat sellers, makes identical posts on Facebook for popups in different states.

Essential Foods Direct’s Facebook page currently promotes popup events in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Florida, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The group was supposed to set up shop in Salem last weekend, but Vaughn said during Tuesday’s meeting that was quashed.

“They had super zoning going on where they wanted to go so (the Salem officials) went down and said ‘get the h*** out of here,’” Vaughan said. 

Vaughan said that the meat came from the Chicago area. This is contrary to what Seale told the Swampscott Tides, which was that the operation started in Kansas. Seale said Essential Foods Direct flash-freezes its products before distributing them to sales teams around the country.

Seale said all he has to do is rent the truck.

“The company sends everything to us,” Seale said.

Essential Foods Direct also did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Swampscott Tides regarding criticism from residents, food safety concerns and questions about its business practices.

When reaching out over Facebook, the company automatically responds that it is inundated with messages and in the meantime to check out a website under a different name, Stampede Ranch and Farms.

Stampede Ranch and Farms’ preview in Google shows it as another meat wholesaler by the name “Essential Food Sales” which again connects back to “Essential Foods Direct” after a second search. The stampede site states that it will “worry about dinner so you don’t have to” with its “prepackaged, portion sized gourmet meat options.”

“Stampede Ranch & Farm is a small family owned and operated business. We are based out of the Midwest US, but service the entire country,” the site reads. “We travel to cities big and small with one agenda… to drive down high meat prices one customer at a time. We’ve partnered with the largest premier distributors in the US to provide premium product to the communities we serve.”

The Stampede Ranch and Farm website, which has a non-interactive map with dozens of pinpoints to show “places we serve,” does also include a photo of a popup with the 20 ribeyes for $40 marketing push.

Even still, a fully separate website, EssentialFoodsDirect.com, shows a frozen prepackaged meat delivery service with what appears to be a variety of stock images.

“As a small family-owned and operated business, we’re on a mission to bring quality meats to families all across the USA,” the website reads. “Sourced exclusively from trusted Midwest Butchers, our Premium Steak, Pork, and Chicken are All-natural and Ethically Raised. From our family to yours, we understand the importance of gathering around the dinner table for delicious meals.”

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) lists a scam of $297.67 by Essential Foods Direct in Edgewood, Maryland in May. Another BBB complaint links Essential Foods Direct to Cattlemans Choice LLC, a non-accredited business whose website redirects to a Facebook page for Americas Best Choice Meats LLC.

“Do not do business with these people,” another BBB review from May reads.