PLACEHOLDER_117

Almost every event offers food or drink in some form – from a simple coffee cart to an entire food court with twenty stalls. As an event coordinator you don't need to know food law by heart, but you should know what requirements apply so you can set the right requirements for suppliers and prevent a well-functioning event from being shut down by an inspection.

§Food Authority requirements for food stalls

If food is sold from a stand or food truck, it is generally a food business that must be registered with the Food Authority. However, there is an exception: if a business only carries out food activity to a limited extent — a total of approximately 30 days a year — it can be considered a business under the threshold and avoids full registration. However, this does not change the fact that basic hygiene requirements still apply.

• 01Access to toilet and adequate hand washing facilities for staff
• 02Good personal hygiene, including clean hands and suitable work clothing
• 03Pest control so food is not exposed to pests
• 04Correct storage temperature — cooling and keeping food warm
• 05Traceability and correct allergen labelling of the dishes

§Site inspection

The Food Authority inspects food stalls at city festivals, music festivals and Christmas markets. In an inspection campaign run from April to December 2024, nine out of ten visited temporary food companies received an approved visit — but the last tenth shows that there are still stalls struggling with storage, hygiene or labeling. As an event coordinator, you may benefit from asking your food suppliers to confirm that they are registered and know the rules before you sign a contract.

§Alcohol usually requires a permit

If alcohol is to be sold or served at your event it normally requires a temporary permit from the police in the police district where the event is held. There is an exception for smaller indoor gatherings: no permit is required if a person aged 21 or over is in charge of the serving the event is indoors with at most 150 guests and only beer and wine are served. Even in that situation the police must be notified of the event. If the event is outdoors or there are more than 150 guests the police may allow the serving of beer and wine on special conditions — but it requires active approval.

§Your role as a coordinator

You rarely apply yourself for the food business registration or alcohol license — the supplier or the person responsible for the bar does. But it's you who coordinates the schedule and knows when applications must be sent at the latest so the food and drinks can actually be sold when guests are in line.