Restaurateurs have joined ranks with a city councillor to push for more food variety on Toronto's streets.

The group gathered at Nathan Phillips Square on Wednesday to urge Ontario to change its food regulations to allow more ethically diverse food.

"We need to change the provincial health regulation which currently limits street vending to pre-cooked meat in the form of a hot dog or sausage," said Councillor John Filion (Ward 23, Willowdale).

Filion, who is also chair of Toronto's Board of Health, explained that inspectors would check new foods to make sure they're street-friendly

"I would never suggest that you should be allowed to cook raw chicken on the street," he said.

"The meat would have to be pre-cooked and prepared in kitchen that's been inspected ... so a whole set of regulations would be in effect."

Guy Rubino, co-owner of Rain restaurant, said the city's current menu of street meat isn't actually healthy.

"They're serving food that's very harmful to us, and it's not easily digestible," he said. "I don't know if we really want to get into what's inside those things."

Rubino said offering food alternatives could be safer for people's health and better for the city's image.

"It just makes sense on all accounts. It's healthy, it's affordable, and it would do a lot for our tourists and our town."

Ontario's Health Protection and Promotion Act defines hazardous food as "any food that is capable of supporting the growth of pathogenic organisms or the production of toxins of such organisms."

In other words, hazardous foods are ones that contain dairy, eggs or meat. While hot dogs contain meat, Filion says they are full of nitrates and can be eaten raw without causing one to get sick.

Rubino's brother and business partner said healthier fast foods are sold outdoors elsewhere in the world, so he sees no danger of Toronto following suit.

"The vast majority of the food that we're talking about is already in kitchens or restaurants ... that have passed all the regulations, so it's not that complicated, really," said Michael Rubino.

"Here we have such a diverse culture. Just imagine...walking 15 feet and seeing somebody selling perogies and then going another 15 feet to see somebody selling satays."

Chefs from across the GTA will host an event at Nathan Phillips Square on July 13, preparing tasty and diverse alternatives to hot dogs in support of the initiative.

The food samples will be offered between noon and 2 p.m.

With a report from CTV's Janice Golding