Location of an event is an important consideration when it comes to planning on having food vendor participation. Depending on the type of environment (indoor vs. outdoor) of your event, there are various food safety factors to consider when setting-up your event. After completing this section, please proceed to review Section 2: Food Vendor Selection & Verifying.
Venues such as Enercare Centre, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto Congress Centre and others are great options for indoor events. Generally, indoor events will be provided with existing amenities that support food safety, such as:
Venues such as parks, streets/sidewalks, and city square generally require temporary infrastructure in the form of utilities such as:
For additional information, refer to the section on Temporary and Existing Infrastructure below.
Food vending location is important in protecting food from external environmental contamination such as dust, debris, waste and internal environmental contamination from floors, walls, and ceiling of food vendor booths. To adequately protect food vendor booths, follow these steps:
Infrastructure refers to the facilities, systems, and the services provided to serve the needs of an area and its people. In the context of special events, infrastructure can be permanent (built-in) or temporary (brought-in) depending on the location of the event, and examples include:
Potable water is critical to food safety. Food vending booths without potable water for food preparation, hand washing, and sanitation, will be closed by TPH and will not be able to operate.
Note: Organizers must notify all food vendors if water will be available onsite. If there is no water available, organizers must inform food vendors that it is their responsibility to always supply their own source of potable water.
If power is supplied by event organizers, it should be adequate for safe food handling as well as to illuminate the food vending, food storage and waste storage areas, especially for night events or multiday events where portion of the event will be held at night. If back up generators are provided by food vendors, consider placing them in an area where exhaust fumes are not going to negatively impact event attendees and other food vendors.
Having enough washrooms along with the required toiletries (toilet paper, running water, liquid soap, and paper towels) are essential at all events to ensure sanitation of the event. Washrooms can be permanently built-in or can be temporary (portable) mobile washrooms; however, all washrooms (portable or permanent) should be frequently serviced to ensure sanitary condition.
Washing hands properly is the single most effective public health measure in prevention of infectious diseases. Event organizers should consider providing self-contained handwashing stations along with hot/cold running water, liquid soap and paper towels near washrooms or other public venues such as petting zoos and other event attractions. If its not possible to provide handwashing stations, consider providing hand sanitizing stations with at least 70% isopropyl alcohol content.
Note: hand sanitizers cannot be used as a substitute for handwashing stations by food vendors.
Depending on your event, food vendors may need to set-up temporary tents as food booths for the duration of the event. It is recommended that tents are made from material that can withstand inclement weather, are easily cleaned, and can provide sufficient protection of food storage and preparation areas.
Food vendors of any size will require sufficient access and space during initial set-up and eventual breakdown of their temporary structures (if any) and food preparation/handling equipment set-up. Sufficient space should be dedicated allowing vendors to bring all the required supplies needed for safe food handling. In addition to space, event organizers should dedicate certain hours of the day for movement of food items and equipment through the event routes to prevent any disruptions to flow of attendees and any potential food contamination during transport. Finally, consider the following with regards to food vendor access:
To retrieve additional food and food production supplies, food vendors will require adequate access from and to their food booths. Depending on food booth storage space, food vendors may not be able to bring all their required supplies at once and may require frequent trips to replenish their supplies, therefore, sufficient access for food vendors between food booths and food storage sites is important.
Depending on the size of the food vendor booths, food storage space may not be sufficient and food vendors may store additional foods at alternate storage locations using mobile refrigeration/freezer facilities, especially for multiday events. Vendors will require easy access to these alternate food storage facilities as well as equipment (carts, dollies) to transfer food and other equipment from the alternate storage sites to their individual food booths.
Depending on where your event is held, indoors versus outdoors, city centre or in the city outskirts, there are always going to be challenges posed from pest and wildlife activity that an event organizer should inform food vendors to plan for.
Pest/wildlife activity in food preparation area can lead to contamination of food and food contact surfaces and equipment. To ensure a pest free event, organizers should inform food vendors to consider the following: