Hi,

Can anyone offer some advice please, a friend of mine wants to hold a charity barn dance in the local church hall, they plan to charge £5 per ticket and included in this ticket price is a hot pot supper, they have been told by a couple of the 'committee' that they 'cannot provide food because of health & safety'.

I am not familiar with the food industry, if that is what this would fall in to, is this the case if so what are the specifics and/or what would the need to do in order to be able to provide food?

Advice greatly appreciated!!

Jay

Hi Jay,

Found this on a Food Standard Agency website:

".......Do we need to follow food hygiene regulations?

If you run a club, or similar small group, and provide food to members at meetings or other events, then you might have to comply with food safety and hygiene legislation. This is still the case if you don't make a profit from the refreshments.

There isn't a straightforward answer to which clubs are covered by the regulations and which aren't, because this depends on the individual circumstances. If you serve refreshments to a few friends at home, then the regulations probably wouldn't apply, because food prepared at home for domestic purposes is exempt.

If, for example, your club is more formally organised, then food safety and hygiene legislation might apply to you. Local authorities are in the best position to decide whether the legislation applies to clubs, according to individual circumstances.

You might also need to register with your local authority if you meet frequently and provide food at the meetings.

One-off or annual events are unlikely to require registration or be covered by food hygiene regulations. But you must make sure the food you supply is safe to eat.

To find out more about what regulations apply to your situation, contact the environmental health department at your local authority......"


However, you say that the "committee" are concerned with health and safety issues. Perhaps they are concerned as suggested by the previous post, with the risks generated by ?untrained? persons using the kitchen facilities within the premises. I would suggest you enquire with the committee what H&S issues are preventing the food being prepared/served on the premises.

Is it feasible to prepare the hotpot in a domestic dwelling close to the location and transport the food in an insulated container to the venue while it is still hot?

Why dont you ask the committee what is the basis for this? Is it the insurer (I presume there will/may be public liability insurance in place? who has put specific terms & conditions (such as having an audit trail that those cooking hold some qualifications?) or is it advice from someone or is it the fear of being sued should there be food poisoning?

I personally do not see any significant issues provided the "basic food hygiene aspects" are observed by those involved in cooking, storage, transportation and serving of the food.

Jay

Contact your local councils EH office, they will give you all the information that you need to comply with Food Hygiene 2006, which will allow for the event to continue.