A food truck in Hampshire County gets its permit from the local board of health in each city or town where it serves — Northampton, Amherst, and so on — not from a county. A commissary and inspection are required.
There is no county health department in Hampshire County, so a mobile food vendor is permitted and inspected by the board of health in each municipality it operates in, under the state food code, 105 CMR 590. Northampton and Amherst each issue their own mobile food permits, which means a truck working several towns may need several permits. Requirements typically include a pre-operating inspection, a commissary agreement for prep and wastewater disposal, handwashing and fire suppression on board, and a certified food protection manager. Permits renew annually. Trucks operating on the UMass Amherst campus also deal with the university.
Operating without the local board of health's mobile food permit lets that health department halt the truck, and the permit is suspended or revoked for failed inspections or unsafe food handling.
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See how Hampshire County's food truck permits rules stack up against other locations.
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