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The county supervisory board today voted to move forward with plans to legalize micro-business home cooking operations, or MEHKOs. MEHKOs are defined by California law as a small retail food facility, operated from a private home.
The state allowed local courts to begin authorizing MEHKOs in 2018. So far, seven cities and counties in California, including Santa Barbara and Riverside, have legalized these home food operations.
The ordinance would legalize local home kitchens that prepare, sell and serve up to 30 meals a day, or 60 meals a week. MEHKO operators would be allowed to earn a maximum annual income of $ 50,000.
MEHKO menus would be limited to items that can be prepared and sold on the same day and would exclude items containing raw milk or raw shellfish. Meals can be served at home, picked up by the customer or delivered by the MEHKO operator.
MEHKO operators would be required to obtain a valid county sanitary permit and undergo an initial inspection and annual inspections thereafter. MEHKO operators would also be required to obtain a feed manager certificate and any of their employees would be required to obtain a certificate. Food Handler Card.
The ordinance would create economic opportunities for small family kitchen businesses, which are mostly run by women, immigrants and people of color. It would also legalize food companies that illegally manufacture and sell food from home.
The item was presented to the Board by Vice President Nora Vargas and Supervisor Joel Anderson. County staff now have 120 days to return to the board with a draft ordinance.
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