Regardless what kind of event you are planning, the size of the event does matter as there are certain details that must be addressed when serving food to a very big group is concerned. For this reason hiring a professional catering company, like Savory Cuisines Catering, is your best bet at having stress free, well executed, food safe event.
If you are just in the beginning stages of planning your event, here are a few food and health safety tips that can help move you along the way. As with anything else, planning ahead of time is your best defense against encountering problems in the future. If you are planning a large event, where the general public will be attending, you will need to contact your local health department for directions on what type of permits you are required to hold. If food is being served than in most case a temporary food service permit is require. Other instances where a permit is not required to host an event include when that event is to be held in a facility that already has a food permit or when the food is being prepared by a licensed catering company. The health department will also be able to provide you with details regarding where the food should be prepared or stored onsite and menu planning guidelines as well. For example if you are hosting a Christmas fundraiser for children you will not be aloud to serve any peanuts for safety reasons.
The best way to plan a food safe event is to keep the menus simple and to avoid things that require special handling to prevent bacteria growth. Also practicing good health and hygiene is imperative when executing the event. It is important to make sure anyone who is handling food wears gloves and has their hair pulled back. Cleaning up and breakdown also presents opportunities for cross contamination so this process need to be handled with care as well.
When putting on large scale events you are generally not allowed to have any “home cooking” what-so-ever and may only have food that has been produced by a trust licensed catering company. This is because these companies have already been inspected by the health department and are familiar with the kinds of regulations that must be followed.