Wholesale Foods
Yes, you may operate as a retail food facility in conjunction as a distributor or processor. A retail permit and wholesale permit will be the required to operate these facilities. One example of this would be manufacturing bread on a wholesale level, and operating a sandwich shop in the front portion of the facility, and selling prepackaged bread. This type of operation would require a wholesale processor permit and a retail public eating permit.
No. However, if you are operating a retail food facility a food handling card will be necessary. A food handling card is not required for wholesale food processing facilities. However, it is recommended that all food handling employees are trained on Current Good Manufacturing Practices on a regular basis.
Yes, all wholesale food facilities must register with the State of California. Processors of general food commodities (e.g. baked goods, noodles, processed fresh vegetables, seafood, snack foods, dietary supplements, etc.) must obtain a Processed Food Registration (PFR) from the Food and Drug Branch (FDB) of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). A PFR certificate is a firm’s basic health permit. The PFR allows firms to manufacture products not specifically covered by another FDB license. Please visit the CDPH website for more information (e.g. juice processors, low acid food packed in hermetically sealed containers, HACCP plan requirements, labeling requirements).
Yes, a Health Permit is still required. The County of San Bernardino has authority to enter and inspect any place, building, structure, room, or portion thereof, maintained, used or operated for the purpose of commercially packing, making, manufacturing, cooking, baking, mixing, processing, bottling (other than water), canning, packing, portioning, assembling, salvaging, re-conditioning or otherwise preparing or processing food, or beer, wine, or alcoholic beverages, including ice for human consumption.
Depending on the scope of company’s operations the food industry is subject to the regulations of numerous federal, state and local agencies:
Please refer to the documents below for specific construction guidelines for wholesale distributors and wholesale processors. For more information about plan review, please refer to our Plan Check program page.
Complete the Application for Food Facility Plan Review. Submit the completed application along with three (3) sets of plans if the project is located within city limits and five (5) sets of plans if the project is located in an unincorporated County area. The plans along with the completed Plan Review application and fee can be submitted in person or through mail, to one of the three regional offices. The plans and completed Plan Review application can also be submitted digitally through email at EHS.CustomerService@dph.sbcounty.gov.
In order to start a wholesale business, plans shall be submitted to our Wholesale Plan Check Program prior to any construction, remodel, and transfer of ownership along with the plan review application and fees. Once plans are approved, an annual health permit will be issued by this agency.