By: Tim Langdon

General uses for commissaries include mobile units or carts used for events, street locations, county fairs and carnivals. The reason a mobile unit could possibly need a commissary, where a stationary cart in specific permanent locations may not, is because of the sinks, storage, and space they have available. For example, if a unit is placed in a stationary location such as a hotel lobby, the cart can use the hotel’s restaurant facilities for storage, cleaning, and sanitizing their equipment and utensils. The restaurant becomes the cart’s commissary.

The health department’s logical reasoning for a commissary is they believe room for storage of product and the cart and also the use of facilities such as 3 compartment sinks is lost if you lack a stationary permanent location. They believe a mobile unit should be moving back and forth to the commissary on a daily basis, which is where Mobile Support Units come into play.

A Mobile Support Unit, or MSU, refers to a vehicle or cart that is used in conjunction with a commissary. In most cases a MSU is a cart on wheels that travels to mobile food facilities as needed to replenish supplies, clean the interior of the unit, and/or dispose of liquid and solid wastes. MSUs are normally under 4 foot long and 32” wide.

Mobile Support Units are most commonly found in the State of California. Most county health departments across the country will not require a MSU. However, it is the responsibility of the future business owner to check with local governing health departments prior to fabrication.

Most health departments have a list of approved commissaries and most commissaries will charge a fee for use of the facilities and storage.

By: Jim Juliano

Have you ever heard of a commissary? Did you know that it’s required by law for most mobile food facilities? So what is it exactly?

Many customers ask this question. The definition of a commissary as described in the California Retail Food Code is listed below:

113751. “Commissary” means a food facility that services mobile food facilities, mobile support units, or vending machines where any of the following occur: (a) Food, containers, or supplies are stored, (b) Food is prepared or prepackaged for sale or service at other locations, (c) Utensils are cleaned, (d) Liquid and solid wastes are disposed, or portable water is obtained.

Mobile coffee carts are most often considered “mobile food facilities,” therefore they must have a health department approved commissary in order to obtain a permit for legal operation. The only exemption from this rule is if a customer plans to serve coffee at events, such as a county fair, or another community gathering. In this case their mobile coffee cart is considered a “temporary food facility.” A temporary food facility is described in the CRFC below:

113930. “Temporary Food Facility” means a food facility approved by the enforcement officer that may be readily disassembled for storage or for transporting, and readily assembled to its original integrity at a different location, is easily movable, and operates at a fixed location for the duration of an approved community event or at a swap meet.

Coffee Cart Biz Inc’s mobile coffee carts and kiosks will continue to be the leading units in the mobile avenue. The use of a commissary partnered with the intuitive design of each mobile cart will enable all new business owners to be successful.