Missouri Food Truck Permits and the State Food Code

The Missouri Food Code, adopted at 19 CSR 20-1.025, sets the sanitation standards every food establishment in the state must meet, and it names mobile vendors and food trucks among those establishments. The Department of Health and Senior Services writes and maintains the code but does not issue permits; a Local Public Health Agency reviews the application, runs a preopening inspection, and issues the operating permit for the city or county where the truck works. Mobile food establishments must operate from a permitted commissary or fixed food service establishment rather than prepping and storing food at home. The code was published June 3, 2013, and is enforced through local inspection.

Running a food truck without a valid permit or outside an approved commissary lets the Local Public Health Agency halt operations, order the unit closed, and pursue penalties for violating the adopted Missouri Food Code.