The Status of Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs) in 2026 — And What It Means for Shared Kitchens
Across California, counties are writing and testing the first true home-kitchen-to-consumer regulations, designed to “democratize” food entrepreneurship by allowing certain meals to be sold from a residence. The intent is understandable: lower barriers to entry, expand economic opportunity, and bring informal food businesses into a regulated framework. But as these policies move from paper to practice, the reality is already more complicated, and more consequential, than the early headlines suggest.
Ashley Colpaart
