Temporary food establishments are food vendors that set up at special events such as fairs, festivals and football games. In 2018, Monongalia County Health Department inspected more than 200 temporary food establishments.
All temporary food establishments must be operated in conjunction with a fair, festival, football game or other special event. A temporary food establishment permit is valid for a maximum of 14 days at the location where it is issued.
All persons that wish to operate a temporary food establishment must submit an application to the health department at least seven days prior to the event.
Temporary food establishments are required to follow the 2013 FDA Food Code.
All employees at a temporary food establishment must have a current food handler's card. It is recommended that the person in charge of each temporary food establishment also have food protection manager training.
Go to the Food Safety Training Page for additional information.
All temporary food establishments must be inspected by a sanitarian from the health department before they start serving food to the public.
To help ensure a problem-free inspection, all temporary food establishments should make sure that they have the following:
- A hand washing station
- A utensil washing station if multi-use utensils are used
- Sufficient cold and hot holding, depending on the foods served
- Single-use gloves
- Sanitizer and test strips
- A stem thermometer for checking food temperatures
For more information: