Outdoor Catering Checklist
Outdoor Catering Checklist
Outdoor Catering Checklist
Complete this checklist and have it available for the inspecting officer
Date: .
Yes
No
All the records outlined above must be available for inspection at your stall on the day of the
event.
Storage
Are all food storage areas under cover and protected from contamination?
Should it rain on the day of the event the whole of the stall should be protected from rain water
Complete this checklist and have it available for the inspecting officer
Issues to be Implemented
Yes
No
Have you got enough preparation / worktop space for your stall to operate
safely? Can cross contamination be avoided?
You must be able to have complete separation between areas used for preparation of raw
products (particularly meat) and those areas for preparation and handling of ready-to eat foods.
Separate tables for these functions are essential.
Have you got enough wash hand basins for the size of your stall / unit /
number of staff? (NOTE: a bowl on its own is not acceptable as a wash hand basin. There
must be an effective means of drainage into a waste water container from the wash hand basin).
Where staff are split between raw and ready-to-eat products, ideally there should be separate
wash hand basins for each area. If not, there should at least be means of disinfecting the wash
hand basin after raw food handlers have used it.
Are the wash hand basins supplied with hot and cold water?
The water temperature must be controllable to be hand wash-safe. Wash hand basins must not
share the same hot water boiler which is used for making / serving hot drinks.
Have you got enough supplies of liquid anti-bacterial soap to last the whole
event?
It is recommended that you should have at least two full bottles.
Have you got sufficient supplies of paper towels for hand drying?
There should be enough paper towels to last to the end of the event. Cloth hand towels are not
recommended
NB: The use of disposable gloves at an event does not excuse businesses from hand washing. Gloves should be
changed on a regular basis and hands should be washed each time gloves are changed.
Sinks
Where the catering operation is taking place over a two or three day period, equipment sinks must be provided. For
one day events, equipment sinks are preferable. However, where all fruit/vegetables/salads are brought in preprepared (no food washing required on site), and the amount of equipment on site is limited, it is acceptable to
return equipment to your food business for cleaning. However, you must be able to demonstrate throughout that
used equipment will be kept separate and not used again. In these circumstances, it will not be deemed acceptable
to use the wash hand basin for cleaning.
Have you got a sink(s) which is / are large enough to wash food and
equipment in (including bulky items)?
Complete this checklist and have it available for the inspecting officer
Issues to be Implemented
Do your sinks have their own hot and cold water supply?
Wash hand basins and sinks must not share the same hot water boiler that is used for making /
serving hot drinks).
Are your fresh water containers clean and have they got caps on them?
Fresh water containers must be disinfected using a Milton type solution and rinsed prior to use.
They must also have caps on them to prevent contamination.
Cleaning
Is your stall/vehicle clean? Can it be kept clean during the event?
Do you have a cleaning schedule to ensure all areas are clean?
(Recommended This should be relevant to the equipment being used on site and should not be
the schedule for your catering kitchen, unless it is applicable to equipment being used at the
event.)
Contamination
Will your food be protected from contamination at all times?
You will need to demonstrate this on the day i.e. use of lidded containers, storing until needed etc.
Is the unit free from pests and is open food protected from flying insects?
Storage and preparation areas should be free from pests. Flying insects will be a potential
problem. Minimise the amount of food on display, cover pans with lids.
Food Waste
Have you got proper bins with lids for food and other waste?
Bins should be lined with a bin bag.
Do you know where the waste collection point/s is/are on the site?
You will need to determine whether you are responsible for the removal of waste or whether it is
the event organiser who will provide waste disposal services.
Do you have arrangements / know the arrangements for the collection and
disposal of waste oil (if applicable to you)?
Staff
Yes
No
Complete this checklist and have it available for the inspecting officer
Issues to be Implemented
Are all your food handlers trained, supervised and given instruction to
ensure food safety?
Officers will questions staff and observe practices on the day. Staff should be knowledgeable
about food safety and demonstrate good food handling practices.
Have your staff been given a supply of clean personal protective clothing to
wear at the event?
Staff must be provided with protective over-clothing. It is not acceptable for staff to handle/serve
food in outdoor/everyday clothing. The food must be protected.
Are your staff aware that they should not handle food if they are suffering
from certain illnesses? Are they aware of the 48 hour rule?
It is important that they know they sholdnt be working if they have sickness and diarrhoea and
they should not work until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours.
Are high-risk cold foods (e.g. cooked rice) stored under refrigeration below
8C?
Have you enough fridges for all your food?
It is essential you supply sufficient fridges for all your chilled food particularly if you are dealing
with raw meats and ready-to-eat foods.
Preparation
Do staff know when they should be washing their hands?
Before preparing food, after handling raw food/rubbish/taking a break/smoking/visiting the toilet.
Do you use separate chopping boards for raw and cooked foods?
You must do. These must be clearly identifiable, ideally they should be colour coded.
Cooking
Do you have a working digital probe thermometer?
You must have one on site and it must be in good, clean condition and be working.
Yes
No
Complete this checklist and have it available for the inspecting officer
Issues to be Implemented
Yes
No
Re-heating Food
Is all high risk food re-heated above 75 C?
It should be and you should be recording periodic temperature checks.
Have you got checks in place to make sure you meet with the requirement?
You must have some checks. If food does drop below 63 C, you must be able to demonstrate to
an inspector that it has not been on display any longer than 2 hours at this temperature. You will
need to keep a log of times and temperatures.
Cleaning
Is a clean as you go procedure in place for the event?
All members of staff should be cleaning up after themselves before they move on to the next task.
Are you using clean cloths and a food safe disinfectant / sanitiser to clean
food contact surfaces?
It is preferable that you use disposable cloths (e.g. paper towels). Where a disinfectant /
sanitiser is in use, staff should be instructed in its correct use and ensure any contact
times are followed. Disinfectants which smell strongly of pine or lemon or other
perfumes, are not suitable they must be food grade.
Ice
Will you be using ice at the event? What for?
If yes, is it brought in ready-made?
If no, do you make it with bottled water?
You should not be using tankered water for making ice.
1.
Stall holders need to be clear from the outset what foods they are going to produce at the
event. Do not keep changing plans and do not over-complicate things by producing lots
of different foods.
Complete this checklist and have it available for the inspecting officer
2.
Keep food preparation and handling to a minimum on the day. The more food preparation
you can do prior to the event, the better.
3.
4.
If you are bringing pre-cooked bulk foods to your stall, you must make sure that you have
adequate storage facilities to keep these foods safe.
5.
Bulk foods should be cooked safely, cooled down quickly (ideally within 90 minutes of
cooking) and then kept cold below 8C right up until the point of use.
6.
You must keep records to show that these foods have been cooked to a safe
temperature, cooled quickly and then kept at the required chill temperature.
7.
It is not recommended that hot food is transported to the event site. Hot food must be
maintained at a temperature of 63 C or above. In practice this is very difficult to maintain
when transporting food from a catering kitchen to an event venue. It is preferable that
food be cooked, chilled down and then re-heated on site.