Any food supplied, sold or provided at charity or community events must must be safe to eat and comply with food law.
Responsibilities of the event organiser
If you're organising a charity or community event, you must consider all the food safety implications to keep everyone as safe as you can.
Events can include:
- street parties
- gala days
- agricultural shows
- beer or food festivals
- school or community fairs
- fundraiser barbecues
- fireworks displays
You must ensure all food providers at your event follow food hygiene and food standards guidance.
Provide details of food providers
It is the event organisers responsibility to pass on the details of all those providing food at their event to Environmental Health. This includes names and contact details for both registered food businesses and occasional food providers.
Food providers may include:
- burger vans and ice cream vans
- gin distillers, microbrewers and cocktail stalls
- barbeques
- market stalls selling any type of food
- bars selling alcohol
- cake makers
Food providers at events
If you handle, prepare, store or serve food only occasionally, it's unlikely that you’ll need to register as a food business.
You may need to register with Environmental Health as a food business if you provide food, including drink, on a regular and organised basis. This includes distillers, microbrewers and cocktail stalls.
Everyone preparing, handling or serving food must have sufficient food safety knowledge and have the skills to handle food safely.
Hand washing requirements
Anyone preparing, handling or serving food must be able to wash their hands at events.
Handwashing facilities with a piped supply of hot water, liquid soap and hygienic drying materials must be made available for this. Sinks in toilet areas are not acceptable.
Hand sanitiser can be used after washing hands, but are not a replacement for hand washing.
Handwashing is required:
- after the toilet
- after a break
- after cleaning
- before handling ready-to-eat foods such as cooked meats, sandwiches and salads
- after touching raw food and its packaging, including unwashed raw fruit and vegetables
- after removing waste
- after blowing your nose
More information can be found at Community and charity events | Food Standards Scotland