What Are the New Regulations and Requirements for selling food From Home Kitchens in LA County?

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved an ordinance establishing a permitting process for microenterprise home kitchen operations (MEHKOs)—essentially, mini-restaurants run out of private homes. This new regulation provides an avenue for entrepreneurial home cooks to legally and safely prepare and sell food they make in their own kitchens. In this article we talk about What Are the New Regulations and Requirements for selling food From Home Kitchens in LA County.

With the ordinance slated to take effect in November, Los Angeles County residents considering launching a home-based food business should understand the application requirements, fees, operational rules, and other pertinent details.

The California Cottage Food Law and MEHKO Designation The ability for home cooks to sell meals prepared in private residential kitchens gained legal standing in 2019 when California amended its health and safety code to allow microenterprise home kitchen operations. Previously, these types of food sales fell into a legal gray area, although many home cooks sold meals informally. The law change legitimized the practice with appropriate health code oversight.

LA County’s recently approved ordinance establishes the specific regulations at the county level to authorize MEHKOs. Under the ordinance, MEHKOs can produce food items for direct sale to consumers. These home kitchen operations differ from “cottage food operations” that sell certain pre-approved shelf-stable goods like baked items, jams, and jellies. MEHKOs involve perishable foods stored under proper refrigeration.

Permitting Process

To legally run a MEHKO in LA County, the home cook operator must complete the permitting process with the county’s Department of Public Health. This includes:

• Submitting an application with basic information about the operation and paying a $597 application fee
• Undergoing an in-person consultation at the home kitchen to review the site
• Making any necessary upgrades for compliance with state and county health and safety codes
• Passing final inspection by the health department
• Paying an annual $347 health permit fee

Operational Limits

Once permitted, LA County puts certain limits on MEHKOs to regulate their scope as small home-based businesses:

• Can only produce food for direct sales to consumers, not for wholesale
• Limited to operating 6 hours maximum per day
• Can have no more than $50,000 gross annual sales
• Can serve meals for up to 60 individual customers per day
• Must have no more than one full-time equivalent food employee besides resident family members

MEHKOs also have the option of operating as a commissary kitchen to supply up to two food carts, with additional restrictions capping weekly meal production.

Health and Safety Rules

To pass inspection, MEHKO home kitchens must meet requirements adapted from the state health code and designed to prevent foodborne illnesses. Rules cover:

• Proper handwashing setups
• Maintaining cooking equipment in good repair
• Use of commercial refrigeration units
• Ensuring hot and cold food storage meet temperature standards
• Preventing contamination
• Proper waste disposal
• Pest control
• General kitchen cleanliness and organization

MEHKO operators also must complete a state-accredited food safety certification course. LA County health inspectors then perform annual site visits, with additional inspections conducted in response to complaints or suspected issues. Failing to pass an inspection can result in permit suspension or revocation.

Benefits for Home Cooks

The MEHKO permits and regulations allow entrepreneurial home cooks to legally operate small food businesses from their residential kitchens. Benefits of this licensing approach include:

• Provides income opportunities for those with culinary talents
• Lets cooks establish mini-restaurants with much less overhead compared to leasing commercial kitchens or storefronts
• Allows flexibility to accommodate childcare duties, disabilities, or other needs making traditional employment challenging
• Promotes cultural food diversity as home cooks can market ethnic/specialty meals

For many home cooks struggling to get by or supplement their main income, MEHKO licensing offers a legitimate pathway to generate earnings doing something they love while avoiding the prohibitive costs of larger food establishments.

The new LA County ordinance extends this economic lifeline to its residents. Home cooks ready to take the plunge can contact the county’s Department of Public Health to begin the MEHKO permitting process and review the specific health code kitchen standards. With some sweat equity and this affordable permitting option, talented home cooks across LA County soon can start dishing up success from their own kitchens. I sincerely hope you find this “What Are the New Regulations and Requirements for selling food From Home Kitchens in LA County?” article hepful.