Overview
The Food Control Section licenses and regulates over 5,000 food facilities in Baltimore City. Its mission is to ensure that all food sold and served is safe for consumption.
What is a food service facility?
Under Health Code Section 6-101(c), a food service facility means:
- A place where food or drink is prepared for sale or service on the premises or elsewhere; or
- An operation where food is served to or provided for the public with or without charge.
- "Food" includes:
- Ice;
- Beverages (non-alcoholic); and
- Chewing gum or any substance used as a component of chewing gum. HE §6-101(b)(2),(3)
- "Food" includes:
Examples of businesses we license and inspect:
- Restaurants
- Grocery store
- Mobile food carts
- Bars/taverns
- Market stalls
- Public and private schools
- Caterers
- Special event food vendors
- Summer camps
- Bakeries
- Church kitchens
New Regulation
Effective July 18, 2018, water, milk, and 100% fruit juice are the default beverage options for all restaurant children’s meals in the City.
Read new law detailsWhat does this mean for your foodservice business?
The only beverages a food service facility may offer paired with a children’s meal are as follows:
- water, sparkling water, or flavored water, with no added natural or artificial sweeteners
- milk or a non-dairy milk alternative
- 100% fruit juice or fruit juice combined with water or sparkling water with no added natural or artificial sweeteners, in a serving size of no more than 8 ounces.
However, if the purchaser specifically asks for an option other than those beverages listed above, the foodservice facility can oblige the request.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do existing menus need to be reprinted?
Menus need to be changed, but re-printing is not a requirement–in the interim, stickers with new language could be used to cover existing language.
- Does the regulation apply to online menus?
Yes
- Does the regulation specify what % of fat the milk needs to be offered (1%, 2%, whole, etc)?
No.
- Would it be acceptable to list on children’s menus that meals come with a ‘choice of beverage’ versus listing out the beverages cited in the regulation?
“Choice of healthy beverage” would be acceptable
- What is the plan for enforcement by BCHD?
BCHD will issue a $100 ECB citation for facilities that are not in compliance as of 7/18/18.
- How will the new ordinance be enforced at businesses with self-serve beverage fountains or refrigerated display cases?
They may wish to place signage in the area, namely, “children’s meals beverages are…” or they could indicate it with a sticker “children’s meal choice,” but none are required.
Excluded Organizations
Effective December 13, 2014, facilities offering only prepackaged foods that are not potentially hazardous such as hard-boiled shell eggs that have been air-cooled with the shell intact, bottled sodas, and bagged chips as well as hotels, lodging or rooming houses serving only continental breakfast are no longer considered food service facilities and therefore will no longer be licensed by the Baltimore City Health Department.
Additionally, qualifying excluded organizations will be permitted to make:
- A non-rescindable decision to operate with a license and in full compliance with COMAR 10.15.03; or
- A decision to operate without a license and in compliance B – E of COMAR 10.15.03.26, which establishes the minimum requirements to ensure food safety at a food service facility operated by an excluded organization without a license
An excluded organization is a bona fide nonprofit fraternal, civic, war veterans’, religious, or charitable organization or corporation that does not serve food to the public more often than 4 days per week, except that once a year an organization may serve food to the public for up to 14 consecutive days.
Filing a Complaint
Complaints regarding the unsafe food handling or unsanitary conditions of a food services facility can be reported by calling 311 or by accessing the Baltimore CitiTrack Service Request System online.
Submit a complaintApplications and Permits
Food License Permit
Temporary Food Facility
Resources
Food Safety Resources
Contact us
Have additional questions? Please reach out to us directly.
Phone: 410-396-4424
Fax: 410-396-5986
Mail: Environmental Health, 1001 E. Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.