Stakeholders push food‑service flexibility, food trucks and incentives for local sourcing in Western Loudoun
November 05, 2025 | Loudoun County, Virginia
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Industry and farm operators generally supported more flexibility. Kate Zerschmeid (Great Country Farms, Bluemont Vineyard, Dirt Farm Brewing) said "food trucks make an excellent interim step" to bring farm‑to‑table dining to multiple sites and to broaden guest experiences. Several stakeholders said food trucks are inspected by the health department, can be required to submit approved menus and can provide a cost‑effective route to on‑site food service without full commercial kitchens.
Staff and the building official cautioned that expanding health‑department regulated food service may trigger building‑code or septic/water upgrades that can remove a portion of an operation from ag exemptions. Raymond Minaldi said whether a portion of a building used as a restaurant remains ag‑exempt depends on how the building is configured and whether fire and egress separations are provided; in practice new high‑occupancy uses often require permitting and building‑code compliance.
On sourcing, conservation and farm representatives urged stronger local‑sourcing incentives. Several speakers said a rigid 51% on‑site sourcing requirement for "rural restaurants" is difficult to meet year‑round and recommended incentives or phased targets and technical support for processing and cold storage capacity. Stakeholders favored options such as a county program or label to recognize establishments that meet local sourcing benchmarks rather than inflexible thresholds.
Committee members asked staff to analyze how a relaxed approach (expanded VDACS/health‑department pathways, controlled multi‑day food‑truck presence and incentives for local sourcing) would affect enforcement, septic/water infrastructure and the county's ag‑first policy. Staff will return with regulatory options and technical implications analysis.
View full meeting
This article is based on a recent meeting—watch the full video and explore the complete transcript for deeper insights into the discussion.
View full meetingSponsors
Proudly supported by sponsors who keep Virginia articles free in 2025
