Outdoor and mobile catering
Catering at outdoor events is a high risk activity so always contact your local Environmental Health Service in advance to ensure that you comply with food hygiene and licensing requirements so that you are able to operate safely and legally. You may also need to register as a Food Business with your local authority. A copy of our Food Premises Registration Form can be printed below.
Key areas to consider and control when preparing and serving food to large numbers of people at an outdoor event are as follows:
- Adequate cross contamination controls- keeping raw and ready to eat food separate during delivery, storage, preparation and service.
- Maintaining separate complex equipment (meat slicers, food mixers etc) for ready to eat food which is not to be shared with raw food.
- Good personal hygiene and regular effective hand washing by staff.
- Thorough cooking of food until piping hot to the centre and above 75o C.
- Good temperature control and monitoring of food delivery, storage, cooking and service of food during the event.
- Keeping food preparation surfaces and food equipment clean and using approved cleaning chemicals and where possible disposable single cloths.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health have produced guidance on catering at outdoor events so please refer to the attached guidance before planning such events so that food safety requirements are met.
You may need to apply for a licence for your event - see the Licensing and Filming and Special Events sections.
In addition you may also need to register as a food business with your Local Authority.