Food Safety at Fairs, Festivals & Farmers Markets: The food safety risks of Off-Site Catering
Off-site vendor events like fairs, festivals, and farmers markets are a great way to grow your food business—but they also come with some of the highest food safety risks.
Unlike a commercial kitchen, you’re often working in temporary setups, limited space, and unpredictable conditions. As someone who regularly attends events and serves as a third-party inspector, I consistently see the same critical issues.
Here are the top six food safety concerns—and how to stay compliant and protect your customers.
1. Handwashing & Glove Use: The First Line of Defense
Handwashing is one of the most commonly overlooked requirements at temporary events.
Common issues:
- No handwashing station at all
- Using hand sanitizer instead of handwashing
- Wearing gloves without washing hands first
- Not changing gloves between tasks
What should be happening:
- A proper handwashing station with water, soap, paper towels, and a catch bucket
- Handwashing before putting on gloves and anytime contamination may occur
- Gloves changed frequently (especially after handling money, raw foods, or touching face/hair)
Gloves are not a substitute for handwashing—they’re an added layer of protection.
2. Temperature Control (Cooking, Reheating & Hot Holding)
When cooking or reheating food on-site, temperature control becomes critical—and guesswork is not acceptable.
Common issues:
- No thermometer available
- “Eyeballing” doneness
- Improper reheating temperatures
- Not verifying hot holding temperatures
What should be happening:
- Using a calibrated food thermometer for all cooking and reheating
- Reheating foods rapidly to 165°F before holding
- Maintaining hot holding at 135°F or above
Having a reliable thermometer isn’t optional—it’s essential for both safety and compliance.
3. Cold Holding on Ice (Without Cross Contamination)
Ice is one of the most common cold-holding methods at outdoor events—but it’s often done incorrectly.
Common issues:
- Food containers sitting directly in melted ice water
- Raw and ready-to-eat foods stored together
- Poor drainage leading to contamination
- Using ROP for storage without proper appoval
What should be happening:
- Food kept in watertight containers and fully surrounded by ice
- Drainage to prevent standing water
- Separation of raw and ready-to-eat foods
- Only vacuum seal food if approved to do so
Remember: once ice becomes contaminated, it becomes a risk—not a control.
4. Reduced Oxygen Packaging (ROP) Without Approval
As mentioned above this is often used as as way to store food and avoid cross contamination. Although in theory this sounds like a great idea, this is one of the more serious violations I see—and it can have dangerous consequences.
Common issues:
- Vacuum sealing foods without a HACCP plan
- Using reduced oxygen packaging at events without health department approval
- Lack of understanding of botulism and listeriosis risks
What should be happening:
- ROP (vacuum sealing, sous vide, etc.) requires health department approval and a HACCP plan
- If you don’t have approval, do not use these methods
Not understanding the risks can be deadly.
5. Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces (Not Disinfecting)
This is a big one—and often misunderstood.
Common issues:
- Using disinfectants (like household cleaners) on food contact surfaces
- Incorrect sanitizer concentrations
- No test strips available
- Wiping cloths stored dry or improperly
What should be happening:
- Use approved food-contact sanitizers, not disinfectants
- Maintain proper sanitizer concentrations (with test strips to verify)
- Store wiping cloths in sanitizer solution between uses
- BEST way – use a one step cleaning and sanitizing solution like these approved wipes
Having a simple, effective sanitizer system (like a one-step sanitizer solution) can make this process easier and more consistent during busy events.
6. Not Recording Temperatures
Even when vendors are doing things correctly, there’s often no documentation.
Common issues:
- No logs for cooking, cooling, or holding
- Logs filled out after the fact
- Staff not trained on how to record temperatures
What should be happening:
- Have a log for when each ingredient was removed from temperature control and a recorded temp every 4 hours.
- Use masking tape and record in marker on each pan – easiest but no long term record
- Keep logs available for inspectors.
A simple temperature log for hot and cold holding can go a long way in demonstrating compliance.
Final Thoughts
Temporary food events are fast-paced and exciting—but they’re not a free pass on food safety.
The vendors who stand out (and succeed long-term) are the ones who:
- Come prepared
- Follow proper procedures
- Treat their booth like a professional kitchen
If you’re planning to participate in fairs, festivals, or farmers markets, take the time to set up your operation correctly. It protects your customers, your reputation, and your business.