Health, Dept. of

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on enforcement or monitoring by health officials, nor does it mention an effective date.

Food Safety Act Changes

This bill amends Tennessee's food safety rules to exclude certain religious and civic groups from needing permits when volunteers prepare or serve food.

What This Bill Does

• Excludes churches, temples, synagogues, or other religious institutions from the definition of 'food service establishment' if volunteer personnel are involved in preparing, serving, transporting, or storing food.
• Also excludes civic, fraternal, and veteran's organizations from needing permits for similar activities by volunteers.

Who It Names or Affects

• Religious institutions like churches, temples, synagogues.
• Civic organizations such as clubs or veteran groups.

Terms To Know

Food service establishment

A place where food is prepared and served to the public, like a restaurant or cafe.

Volunteer personnel

People who work without being paid.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if these organizations start charging for food services.
• It is unclear how the new rules will be enforced or monitored by health officials.
• The effective date of this act has not been set yet.

Official Summary Text

Present law prohibits the operation of a food service establishment that does not hold a valid permit. Every food service establishment must obtain a permit from the commissioner of health (the commissioner) and must display the permit in an obvious man
ner visible to the public. Present law further requires that, whenever any food service establishment is constructed or extensively remodeled, plans and specifications be submitted to the commissioner. The food service establishment may not be construct
ed
or remodeled until the plans and specifications are approved by the commissioner. Present law makes it a Class C misdemeanor for a person operating a food service establishment to fail to comply with the Tennessee Food Safety Act. Class C misdemeanors
are punishable by imprisonment of not more than 30 days, a fine not greater than $50 dollars, or both.

"FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT" DEFINED

Present law generally defines a "food service establishment" as any establishment, place or location,
whether permanent, temporary, seasonal, or itinerant, other than retail food stores, where food is prepared and the public is offered to be served or is served food. However, certain establishments are excluded from such definition.

One such exemption is for churches, temples, synagogues or other religious institutions, civic, fraternal, or veteran's organizations where food is prepared, served, transported, or stored by volunteer personnel only on non-consecutive days. This bill r
ewrites the exemption to clarify the following:



The exemption applies to a church, temple, synagogue, or other religious institution, regardless of whether the food is prepared, served, transported, or stored by volunteer personnel, regardless of whether the food is so prepared, served, transported, or stored on non-consecutive days.



The exemption applies to a civic, fraternal, or veteran's organization where food is prepared, served, transported, or stored by volunteer personnel, regardless of whether the food is so prepared, served, transported, or stored on non-consecutive days.

ON MARCH 16, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2020, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, clarify that a person 19 or older does not need a license or permit to sell bakery goods, homemade or otherwise; soft drinks; or other similar food commodities if the person is supporting a 501(c)(3) organizati
on, as described by federal law, and a component of such organization's mission is to provide temporary accommodations for children in relationship to their placement in the custody of the department of children's services. Under present law, children un
de
r 18 already do not need a license or permit to sell such bakery goods, homemade or otherwise, soft drinks, or other similar food commodities at public events.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 1821
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 2020
By Cochran
HB2020
010440
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
Chapter 14, relative to food safety.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-14-703(11)(D), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(D) "Food service establishment" does not include a church, temple, synagogue,
or other religious institution, or a civic, fraternal, or veteran's organization where food is
prepared, served, transported, or stored by volunteer personnel. However, the storage
of unopened, commercially canned food, packaged bulk food that is not potentially
hazardous, and dry goods does not apply for these purposes.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.