Health - Mobile Food Establishments

Requirements

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A Mobile Food Unit is a vehicle mounted, self or otherwise propelled, self-contained food service operation, designed to be readily movable (including, but not limited to catering trucks, trailers, push carts, and roadside vendors) and used to store, prepare, display, serve or sell food. Mobile units must completely retain their mobility at all times. A Mobile Food Unit does not mean a stand or a booth.

All mobile food units must comply with the following health and design regulations and provide any necessary documentation prior to obtaining a permit to operate.

Readily Movable
The owner/operator of a mobile food unit must demonstrate that the vehicle is readily movable and must be totally operable at time of inspection. Alterations or any other changes that prevent or otherwise reduce ready mobility of the mobile food unit are prohibited.

Certified Food Manager Certification
At least one employee must be a registered. All other employees must have a current Food Safety Training Certificate. The Manager is responsible for providing this information prior to obtaining a permit.

Central Preparation Facility Authorization (if required)
A copy of the most current health inspection of the central preparation facility must be maintained on the mobile unit at all times.

Central Preparation Facility Inspection Report
A copy of the most current health inspection of the central preparation facility must be maintained on the mobile unit at all times.

Servicing Area Authorization
A signed letter of authorization may be required by the regulatory authority to verify service area use, if the servicing area is not owned by the mobile unit operator.

Menu of All Food Items to be Sold
A copy of the menu showing all food items to be sold shall be provided to the Health Inspector upon submittal of the food service application.

Single-Service Articles
Mobile Food Units shall provide only single service articles for use by the consumer.

Cooling, Heating and Holding Capacities
Equipment for cooling and heating food, and holding cold and hot food, shall be sufficient in number and capacity to provide food temperatures as specified.

Manual Ware-Washing, Sink Compartment Requirements
A sink with at least three compartments shall be provided for manually washing, rinsing, and sanitizing equipment and utensils as specified. Sink compartments shall be large enough to accommodate immersion of the largest equipment and utensils as specified under §228.107(b)(2) of this title.
At least one hand-washing sink shall be available for convenient use by employees and properly provisioned in accordance with §228.175(b) - (c).

Mobile Water System - Materials, Design and Operation
Mobile Food Unit water systems shall meet the requirements of §228.149(f) of this title (relating to Water, Plumbing, and Waste). A Mobile Food Unit's water tank inlet shall be 19.1 mm (3/4 inch) in inner diameter or less; and provided with a hose connection of a size or type that will prevent its use for any other service. Fill
hose and water holding tank shall be labeled as “Potable Water.”

Sewage and Other Liquid Waste
If liquid waste results from operation of a Mobile Food Unit, the waste shall be stored in a permanently installed retention tank. Capacity and drainage. A leak-proof sewage holding tank in a Mobile Food Unit shall be:

sized at least 15% larger in capacity than the water supply tank; and sloped to a drain that is 25 millimeters (1 inch) in inner diameter or greater, equipped with a shut-off valve.
All connections on the vehicle for servicing the Mobile Food Unit waste disposal facilities shall be of a different size or type than those used for supplying potable water to the Mobile Food Unit.
Discharge liquid waste shall not be discharged from the retention tank while the Mobile Food Unit is in motion.
A tank for liquid waste retention shall be thoroughly flushed and drained in a sanitary manner.
Sewage and other liquid wastes shall be removed from a Mobile Food Unit at an approved waste servicing area or by a sewage transport vehicle in such a way that a public health hazard or nuisance is not created.
Liquid waste holding tank shall be labeled as “waste water”
A roadside vendor that sells only prepackaged food is exempt from these rules pertaining to water and wastewater.
A Mobile Food Unit that prepares food requiring no water for operations and no hand contact with food is exempt from these rules pertaining to water and wastewater if the required cleaning and sanitization equipment exist at its central preparation facility. Chemically treated towelettes for hand washing may be used as specified in §228.147(a)(3) of this title (pertaining to Water, Plumbing and Waste)

Toilet Rooms, Convenience and Accessibility
Toilet rooms shall be conveniently located and accessible to employees during all hours of operation.

Central Preparation Facility
Mobile Food Units shall operate from a central preparation facility or other fixed food establishment and shall report to such location daily for supplies and for cleaning and servicing operations.
The central preparation facility or other fixed food service establishment, used as a base of operation for Mobile Food Units, shall be constructed and operated in compliance with the requirements of these rules (pertaining to Physical Facilities).

A Mobile Food Unit servicing area shall include at least overhead protection for any supplying, cleaning, or servicing operation. Those areas used only for the loading of water and/or the discharge of sewage and other liquid waste, through the use of a closed system of hoses, need not be provided with overhead protection. Within the servicing area, the location provided for the flushing and drainage of liquid wastes shall be separate from the location provided for potable water servicing and for the loading and unloading of food and related supplies.
A servicing area will not be required where only packaged food is placed on the Mobile Food Unit or where Mobile Food Units do not contain waste retention tanks.
The surface of the servicing area shall be constructed of a smooth nonabsorbent material, such as concrete or machine-laid asphalt and shall be maintained in good repair, kept clean, and be graded to drain.
Potable water servicing equipment shall be installed in the servicing area according to the Plumbing Code and shall be stored and handled in a way that protects the water and equipment from contamination.
Construction exemption. The construction of the walls and ceilings of the servicing area is exempted from the provisions of §228.173(a) of this title (relating to Physical Facilities).

Permitting
All mobile food units must comply with the following health and design regulations and provide any necessary documentation prior to obtaining a permit to operate.