Food Trucks
in Los Angeles County

• Mobile Food Facility (MFF) - any vehicle used in conjunction with a commissary or other permanent food facility upon which food is sold or distributed at retail
• High-risk mobile food truck - a fully enclosed mobile food facility in which complex menu items are prepared and extensive food preparation occurs
• High-risk mobile food cart - An unenclosed mobile food facility in which:
  1. food preparation that is restricted to one or more of the following:
     1. Heating, frying, baking, roasting, popping, shaving of ice, blending, steaming or boiling of hot dogs, or assembly of non-prepackaged food
     2. Dispensing and portioning of non-potentially hazardous food
     3. Holding, portioning, and dispensing of any foods that are prepared for satellite food service by the onsite permanent food facility or prepackaged by another approved source
     4. Slicing and chopping of food on a heated cooking surface during the cooking process
     5. Cooking and seasoning to order
     6. Preparing beverages that are for immediate service, in response to an individual consumer order, that do not contain frozen milk products
  2. "Limited food preparation" does not include any of the following:
     1. Slicing and chopping unless it is on the heated cooking surface
     2. Thawing
     3. Cooling of cooked, potentially hazardous food
     4. Grinding raw ingredients or potentially hazardous food
     5. Reheating of potentially hazardous foods for hot holding, except for steamed or boiled hot dogs and tamales in the original, inedible wrapper
     6. Hot holding of non-prepackaged, potentially hazardous food, except for roasting corn on the cob roasting corn on the cob, steamed or boiled hot dogs, and tamales in the original, inedible wrapper
     7. Washing of foods
     8. Cooking of potentially hazardous foods for later use
• Mobile Support Unit (MSU) refers to a vehicle, used in conjunction with a commissary, that travels to, and services mobile food facilities as needed to replenish supplies, including food and potable water, clean the interior of the unit, or dispose of liquid or solid wastes
• Commissary - a food facility in which food, equipment, and/or supplies are stored or handled, food is prepared or prepackaged for sale or service at other locations, utensils are cleaned, liquid or solid wastes are disposed of, and potable water is obtained for used in MFFs

• Mobile Food Facility Route Sheet - Available in English , provides information to the Mobile Food Program as to the location and times of individual Mobile Food Facility operation. Failure to notify VIP of any changes may result in the suspension or revocation of your Public Health Permit to operate as a Mobile Food Facility.

  County code 8.04.403 Route location, requires the owner/operator of a mobile food facility or mobile support unit shall complete a Mobile Food Facility Route Sheet, obtained from the county health officer, listing the complete address, telephone number and arrival/departure times of each location where the retail food business is being conducted.

Vehicle Classifications

Public Health uses the following classifications for mobile food facilities:

Food Trucks

Carts

The level of risk, high or low, has to do with the menu items that will be available. For example, pre-packaged food that does not need to be refrigerated is generally considered low risk. Soft serve ice cream and other foods that will need to be refrigerated and prepared are considered high risk because of the potential for food-borne illness.

Mobile food facilities include:

• Mobile Food Preparation Units
• Soft Serve Vehicles
• Prepackaged Ice Cream Vehicles
• Produce Vehicles
• Retail Fish Vehicles
• Retail Bakery Vehicles
• Independent Wholesale Delivery Vehicle
• Limited Food Preparation Vehicles
• Food Service Carts
  • Hot Dog Carts
  • Espresso/cappuccino Carts
  • Popcorn Carts
  • Churro/pretzel carts
  • Prepackaged food carts
• Mobile Support Units