Effective January 1, 2019, Assembly Bill (AB) 2178 defined a limited service charitable feedfeeding operation (LSCFO) as a nonprofit charitable organization that provides food service to a customer solely for providing charity. 

AB 2178 provides local enforcement agencies additional flexibility when working with charitable organizations that wish to feed the food insecure but do not have access to a full service, permitted commercial kitchen. 

This bill exempts a LSCFO from the definition of a food facility, as defined in the California Retail Food Code (CalCode).  It also exempts LSCFOs from many requirements of CalCode except for specified general food safety sections. 

The goal is to safely utilize the existing infrastructure by limiting the type of food preparation feed1and serving that can occur at a building that does not have a permitted commercial kitchen but would be safe to prepare and serve the foods in a limited fashion. 

The operation must comply with best management practices approved by the Ventura County Environmental Health Division.  LSCFOs may qualify for and obtain a registration (or be exempt from registration) in lieu of an Environmental Health permit.