Development output
Meal-prep compliance checklist
The investigation path before Interstice prepares, distributes, sells, or trains paid participants around food.
Move slowly here
The meal-prep idea is promising, but it has the most compliance weight. Treat the first version as education until the founder has written guidance from food safety, labor, insurance, accounting, and legal advisors.
Decision tree
- Nutrition education only: lower risk, but still manage allergies, supervision, and facility rules.
- Cooking demonstrations: check facility permission, food handling practices, allergies, and whether food is served.
- Meals for participants: ask the county health department and insurer what permits, kitchen standards, and records apply.
- Meals distributed to the public: treat as a food operation until an authority tells you otherwise in writing.
- Meals sold to the public: expect permit, kitchen, tax, accounting, labeling, insurance, and unrelated business income questions.
- Youth paid for food work: add youth employment certificates, hour limits, prohibited tasks, payroll, workers comp, supervision, and role design.
Food safety questions
- Which county health department has jurisdiction?
- Is the activity a permitted food establishment, food stand, mobile unit, caterer, temporary food event, or exempt activity?
- Is a plan review required?
- What kitchen can be used?
- Who is the person in charge?
- What food safety certification is expected?
- How will temperatures, allergens, cleaning, storage, packaging, transport, and recalls be handled?
Youth employment questions
- Does every employed youth under 18 need a Youth Employment Certificate?
- What hours are allowed by age and school status?
- Which kitchen tasks are prohibited for minors?
- Can youth use knives, ovens, mixers, slicers, vehicles, or commercial equipment?
- What supervision ratio is required?
- How are wages, taxes, workers comp, and records handled?
Commercial kitchen MOU checklist
- Facility name, address, permit status, and responsible manager.
- Allowed days and hours.
- Storage areas: dry, refrigerated, frozen, chemicals, and personal items.
- Equipment allowed and equipment off limits.
- Cleaning responsibilities.
- Insurance requirements and additional insured language.
- Staff and volunteer access rules.
- Youth access and supervision rules.
- Incident reporting and emergency procedures.
- Fees, donations, or revenue share.
- Who talks to the health department.
Nonprofit and social enterprise questions
- Will meal sales be part of the exempt charitable mission or a separate earned-revenue activity?
- Could sales create unrelated business income?
- Should the food operation sit inside the nonprofit, under a fiscal sponsor, or in a separate entity later?
- How will restricted donations, meal sales, payroll, supplies, and inventory be tracked?
- Will participants be employees, trainees, stipend recipients, volunteers, or program participants?
- What does insurance cover: general liability, participant accident, abuse/molestation, workers comp, auto, product liability, directors and officers?
Safe first version
Start with classroom-style food and nutrition education: meal planning, label reading, budgeting, safe knife demonstration by adults, and simple no-sale snacks where permitted. Build the compliance file before moving into production.