Mobile Food Premises

The Ontario Food Premise Regulation under the Health Protection and Promotion Act outlines the food safety requirements for mobile food premises. All mobile food premises are required to be inspected by your local public health unit. Below you will find information on requirements and preparing your mobile food premise for inspection.

A mobile food premise is any premise that can be easily moved between locations and prepares food to be offered for sale to the public. Examples include:  

  • Food truck  
  • Street food vending cart  
  • Food service trailer 
  • Hot dog cart 
  • Ice cream cart

Licensing

All mobile food premises operating in the City of Guelph, Shelburne, or Orangeville must obtain a license prior to operating on public property. If you are operating in one of these cities, more information can be found below:

Preparing your mobile food premise for inspection

Vehicle Requirements
  • The mobile food premise must have separate holding tanks for the potable water and wastewater. All tanks must be equipped with an easily readable gauge for determining the waste or water level in the tanks. 
  • The mobile food premise must include a hand washing sink with hot and cold running water, liquid soap and paper towels in a dispenser.* 
  • The mobile food premise must include a 2- or 3-compartment sinks with hot and cold running water. The compartment sinks must be large enough to fully immerse equipment for proper washing, rinsing and sanitation.**
  • The service doors/windows leading into the preparation area must be screened. When the mobile food premise is travelling, doors and windows must be sealed in a manner to prevent dust and fumes from entering the food preparation area. 
  • The mobile food premise must be protected from the entry of pests, and limit conditions which would harbour pests. 
  • The ventilation system must be maintained to remove fumes, odour, smoke and heat.  
  • The floors, ceilings and walls must be made from easy-to-clean materials. 
  • Adequate lighting must be provided in the food preparation area. 

Exemptions

*If the mobile food premise is selling only prepackaged food items, a hand washing station is not required.  

**If the mobile food premise is selling low-risk food items (i.e. hot dogs/prepackaged products), the 2 or 3 compartment sink dishwashing method is not required   

Food Requirements
  • All food must be prepared in an inspected kitchen. No home food preparation is permitted. 
  • All hazardous foods must be transported and stored in a refrigeration unit which maintains the temperature of 4°C or less. Freezer units must maintain the food in a frozen state.  
  • Hazardous foods that require hot holding must maintain a temperature of 60°C or higher. 
  • Ready-to-eat foods and raw foods must be kept separate to prevent contamination. 
  • Test strips to verify the concentration of the food grade sanitizers must be on site. 
  • A Certified Food Handler must be onsite at all hours of operation.*

Exemptions

*Where only prepackaged, non-hazardous foods are sold, a Certified Food Handler may not be required. Check with your public health inspector to confirm. 

Water Requirements and Holding Tank Disinfection
  • Mobile food premises are required to have a source of potable water to operate. 
  • The water holding tanks should be disinfected periodically. If the mobile food premise is seasonal, the holding tanks should be disinfected prior to opening each season. 

How to Disinfect Holding Tanks and Pipelines

  1. Drain all water from the holding tanks and pipelines. 
  2. Wash and remove any debris from the outside of the tanks. This can be done with a detergent and rinsed with water. If possible, the inside of the tank should also be cleaned with a detergent and rinsed with water to remove any debris prior to disinfection. 
  3. Fill the holding tanks and pipelines with bleach and water solution. You will need to mix new bleach and water solution after each bucket is emptied into the tank. Continue mixing and adding solution until the tank is filled. 
  4. The tank must be filled to capacity to ensure all surfaces are in contact with the bleach and water solution. 
  5. Open the valves to allow the solution to enter the pipelines. 
  6. Turn on the water taps and keep running until the smell of bleach is present. 
  7. Turn off the water taps and close the valves to the pipelines. The bleach water solution should be left in the full holding tank and pipelines for 12 hours. 
  8. After 12 hours, drain the tanks and the pipelines. Ensure the bleach and water solution is disposed of in a manner that will not impact the environment.  
  9. Flush the holding tank and pipelines by running potable water throughout the system. This is complete when the smell of bleach is no longer present. 
  10. The tank has now been disinfected and can be filled with potable water.  

How to Disinfect Supply Hose

A supply hose is used to connect the mobile food premise to its source of potable water. These hoses, when not stored in a sanitary manner, can be a source of contamination for the water supply. 

Prior to connecting the hose ends, all connections must be disinfected. This can be completed by immersing the ends of the hose and the connections into a bleach water solution of 200ppm.

Preparation checklist for approval inspections

Prior to commencing operations each year, mobile food premises must pass a public health pre-opening inspection. Pre-opening inspections do not require food products on site however the facility should be presented as “ready for business”. Use the checklist below and information on this page to ensure a smooth and successful pre-opening inspection.   

  1. Water (hot and cold), wastewater tanks and power are fully connected and operational.  
  2. Food storage equipment is operational and functions appropriately (fridge/freezer).  
  3. All utensils, cookware and equipment to be used during operations or for food preparation are in the mobile food premise and available for inspections. (i.e. spatulas, tongs, knives, fry baskets, potato dicer, etc.).  
  4. Food safety equipment and tools are in place and functional (i.e. sanitizer test strips, probe thermometer, food storage thermometers).  
  5. Food Handler Certification documentation is current and available for review. 
  6. Proposed menu available for review.  
  7. Mobile food premise is presented in a clean and sanitary manner.

Questions?

If you require further assistance, please contact PHI.Intake@wdgpublichealth.ca or call 1-800-265-7293 ext 4753 to speak to a public health inspector.