Culinary gardens on the same site as a permitted food facility may provide produce to that facility if they follow best practices to ensure that health and safety risks are minimized. The Department of Public Health created a registration program for gardens to ensure the produce from these gardens is as safe as possible for use in the permitted food facility.
The Culinary Gardens Guidance provides best management practices (BMPs) that should be followed by culinary gardens. The guidance document focuses on issues concerning small culinary gardens but may not address all health and safety considerations of a specific operation, and includes additional resources to assist the operator in addressing microbial food safety hazards.
In San Francisco, a food facility with an on-site culinary garden is required to complete this Best Practices Agreement for Garden Self Registration and gain approval from the district health inspector.
If you would like to make a complaint regarding a culinary garden, you may call or visit 311.
- Service 24x7
San Francisco Department of Public Health Environmental Health Branch