The Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 Wednesday to amend the ordinance to allow small businesses to operate home kitchens in San Diego County.
The ordinance, which went into effect Jan. 5, covers operational policies such as the number of meals that can be prepared per day, fees, and cottage food operations, and allows operators to use up to two permitted carts to store food. can be sold.
The state Department of Public Health defines a small business home kitchen (MEHKO) as a food facility operated by a resident in a private residence, “where food is stored, processed, prepared, and served to consumers. there is a possibility”.
Last December, the board voted 4-0 in favor of the ordinance as part of second reading. According to information on Wednesday's meeting agenda, the ordinance “erroneously omitted” his two options under current state law:
- MEHKO Carts have increased the number of meals you can serve, now 80 meals per day and less than 200 meals per week.
- MEHKO Cart Business maximum annual gross sales increased from $100,000 to $150,000 per year
According to the county, cottage food businesses are those that produce low-risk foods that do not require refrigeration, such as breads, pies and dry goods, in home kitchens and sell them to consumers.
At the Nov. 8 meeting, supervisors advanced the ordinance for a final vote after updating the pilot program and hearing positive feedback from home kitchen entrepreneurs.
On Wednesday, Supervisors Monica Montgomery Stepp and Nora Vargas praised the home kitchen industry.
Montgomery Stepp described MEHKO as a workforce development opportunity, while Vargas said some operators now have sufficient resources to open brick-and-mortar locations.
In January 2022, the Board approved a two-year pilot program for MEHKO, which proponents claim has the following benefits:
- Regulating unsafe private kitchen practices that can cause food poisoning
- Promoting food justice in communities without access to healthy, affordable food
- Enabling home cooks (mostly women, immigrants, and people of color) to use their skills and earn an income
Supervisor Joel Anderson was absent from Wednesday's meeting, and Vice Chair Tera Lawson Lemar was not present during the board vote.
City News Service contributed to this article.
