{"id":17529,"date":"2024-06-26T14:45:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T18:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/?page_id=17529"},"modified":"2025-09-23T09:03:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T13:03:29","slug":"mobile-food-units","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/mobile-food-units\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobile Food Units"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mobile Food Units (MFUs) are restaurants mounted on wheels (or are a boat in the water), including pushcarts, trailers, trucks, or vans. A MFU must be readily movable from place to place during operation. The unit, all operations, and all equipment must be integral to and be within or attached to the unit. To learn more about applying for a MFU permit, visit Applying for a Food Permit \u2013 Environmental Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

VDH issues MFU permits in the form of a sticker; these stickers must be prominently displayed on mobile food units.<\/p>\n

\"Sample<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2018 the Department of Housing and Community Development passed requirements for fire safety specific to mobile food establishments. You may find a handout to assist mobile food unit operators here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCommissary Requirements\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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A commissary is a location in which food, food containers, or supplies are kept, handled, prepared, packaged, or stored for distribution to a MFU or other satellite operations.<\/p>\n

Some localities have local ordinances that require a commissary for all MFUs. In locations without an ordinance, commissaries are required when the operator cannot demonstrate that the MFU is a fully self contained operation. Examples of activities that may take place at a commissary include food prep that requires more space than the MFU allows, food storage, use of a three compartment sink to clean food equipment, storage and <\/span>re-stocking of supplies, filling up a fresh water tank, or emptying a waste water tank.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Customer<\/div>
\"Man<\/div>
\"Pink<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mobile Food Units (MFUs) are restaurants mounted on wheels (or are a boat in the water), including pushcarts, trailers, trucks, or vans. A MFU must be readily movable from place to place during operation. The unit, all operations, and all equipment must be integral to and be within or attached to the unit. To learn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17529","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nMobile Food Units - Environmental Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/mobile-food-units\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mobile Food Units - Environmental Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mobile Food Units (MFUs) are restaurants mounted on wheels (or are a boat in the water), including pushcarts, trailers, trucks, or vans. 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