Home cook aficionados and kitchen wizzes may soon have another available source of income right out of their homes, barring city council approval.
Long Beach City Council is expected to vote on a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Ordinance (MEHKO) on June 10, Health Department officials announced on Wednesday night.
While a Cottage Food License allows residents to sell homemade items such as breads, pastries and other shelf-stable items, the MEHKO would expand possibilities to soups, meats, veggies and meals containing dairy. Former California Governor Jerry Brown approved MEHKOs as part of the state’s food code in 2018 with AB 626, and the ordinance was expanded in 2023.
Local food justice organization Long Beach Fresh has been pushing for the City to adopt this ordinance since 2019, as it would increase cultural food options in the city and make healthy foods more accessible and affordable for residents.
Unlike the State’s street vendor bills passed in 2019, which mandated cities to create a legal framework and regulations, Long Beach has the option of whether to opt in or not. Advocates argue that since these operations already exist — thriving now through social media — a legal pathway would increase safety and health measures.
“We want to see a diverse and representative local food system where there’s a lot of innovation and more representation of diverse cultures and culinary styles,” said Tony Damico, co-director of Long Beach Fresh, in an interview with the Signal Tribune in October 2024. “Even businesses that can cater to small audiences for people who have very specific dietary constraints. So the benefits are plentiful.”
Last year Long Beach Fresh and longtime MEHKO advocate COOK Alliance created the Home Cook Coalition to educate Long Beach residents on MEHKOs and organize a push towards legal operations.
Nearly 20 cities and counties in California have created their own MEHKO programs. In June 2024, the Long Beach Health Department was granted $88,598 from the California Workforce Development Board to study the possibility of creating a MEHKO program.
This grant helped the City study the other 19 city and county policies, said Environmental Health Operations Officer Mozhgan Mofidi. They worked most closely with Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties to study the cost of the program and what challenges have arised. Mofidi shared benefits they found from the MEHKO program include cultural enrichment, a stronger local economy, food accessibility and affordability, flexible dining options, community building and sustainability.
On June 10, the Long Beach City Council will ask the City Attorney’s Office to draft an ordinance recognizing MEHKOs, representatives with the Health Department said. The council will then review the drafted ordinance at a later date, meet again to approve it for a first read, then for a second reading. Thirty days after the second reading and approval, the ordinance will be in effect.
Certain guidelines are already outlined by the State, such as:
- Businesses can only have one full-time equivalent employee, not including family members or household members.
- Only one MEHKO license per household.
- Food needs to be prepared, cooked and served or delivered on the same day it is made.
- Businesses can sell no more than 30 meals per day or 90 meals per week, or exceed a total revenue of $100,000 annually.
- Reselling food to other facilities is not allowed.
- Businesses may not use third-party delivery apps like Uber Eats, except as provided in the California Health & Safety Code.
- Businesses may not serve alcohol or food that contains alcohol without an appropriate license.
- Businesses are not authorized to run a catering business.
- Equipment has to be in good repair, clean and sanitized.
- Oil and grease disposal has to be done in an approved manner.
- MEHKOs are subject to annual inspection and to complaint-based investigations.
- Food preparation cannot be prepared at the same time as family meals or other activities.
- Animals cannot be in the kitchen or dining area during food and prep.
- Must have: fire extinguisher, first aid kit and sales tracking mechanism to track sales.
- Can’t sell raw oysters, raw milk or raw milk products like cream, cream cheese or ice cream.
- No smoking, curing or other food processing requiring Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Plan.
- No adding vinegar or other food additives for food preservation.
- No vacuum seal packaging.
MEHKO operators in the City of Long Beach will require a Food Protection Manager Certificate, Food Handler Card Certificate, a Business License and a Public Health Permit. Fees for these requirements are set by the City and not yet decided, Mofidi said.
What You Can Do:
- Go to City Council: Attend the June 10 Long Beach City Council meeting, where officials are expected to review the information compiled by the Health Department studying other jurisdiction’s MEHKO programs over the last six months. Residents can speak during public comment and give their thoughts on a possible MEHKO program. The meeting will be at Long Beach City Hall at 411 W. Ocean Blvd. at 5 p.m.
- Take a Survey: Fill out the Microenterprise Home Kitchen Ordinance Public Survey online. Answers will be included in a report presented to the City Council.
