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:

  • potable water.
  • stable power supply.
  • designated waste disposal/collection points.
  • access to washrooms.
  • physical protection of food storage/preparation areas against inclement weather.

Venues such as parks, streets/sidewalks, and city square generally require temporary infrastructure in the form of utilities such as:

  • potable water.
  • power supply.
  • temporary structures (tents).
  • portable washrooms.
  • portable handwashing stations and other equipment.

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:

  1. Position food vendors in areas protected from inclement weather to prevent food contamination. If indoor spaces are available, consider moving food storage and preparation areas indoors to protect food.
  2. Ensure the area around outdoor food vending is free of accumulated dust, debris, and excessive vegetation. Avoid any other type of contamination.
  3. Situate food vending areas away from live animals, such as petting zoos or other animal attractions, to prevent contamination of food and handling equipment.
  4. Recommend proper drainage and sloping of the ground around food vending areas to avoid water accumulation due to inclement weather.
  5. Consider using waterproof flooring options for food vendors, such as rubber, polished concrete, asphalt, or plastic resin. For outdoor events on grass or exposed earth, use easily cleanable temporary floors made of similar materials.
  6. Place solid and liquid waste disposal in a convenient location, protected by leakproof and pest-proof containers with lids, away from food vending areas to prevent food contamination.

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:

  • Existing buildings: If an outdoor event has access to permanent buildings, it is recommended that those buildings are utilized for food storage and preparation as much as possible.
  • Access routes: Identification of access routes to and from the event including transportation of people and services is important in planning event locations. Accessible roads, laneways, pathways, loading docks, and roads including adequate parking spaces at or near the event is important for food vendors to replenish their food, water, and sanitation supplies. For additional information, see the next section on access for transport and storage of foods.
  • Utilities: There must be access to potable water, sufficient power (electricity, fuel, generators), and storage/removal of waste in a timely fashion is essential for safe production and service of food by vendors. Depending on your event, utilities maybe already available (permanent) or may need to be brought-in (temporary) in sufficient quantities to support the various activities of the event, including safe food production. The following are some of the utilities needed for food safety:

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.

Power supply

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.

Washrooms

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.

Hand washing/hygiene stations

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.

Tents/Food booths

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:

Additional food supply

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.

Alternate food storage

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:

  1. Depending on your event location, assess what type of pest(s) could impact your event. Indoor events will most likely encounter mice and rats and outdoor events will encounter wild animals such as racoons, skunks, squirrels, etc.,
  2. Based on your site assessment, if you do encounter pests/wildlife activity at your event location, notify food vendors immediately,
  3. In your notification to food vendors, communicate your expectations as an event organizer regarding the steps food vendors need to take to ensure prevention of pest/wildlife activity inside their food booth which includes:
    1. Maintain a clean food booth including food dispensing equipment,
    2. Remove waste as soon as possible,
    3. Ensure adequate lighting,
    4. Maintain food protected from access by pests/wildlife in storage bins with tight fitting lids.
  4. As an event organizer, consider taking the following steps to prevent attracting pests and wildlife such as:
    1. Safe and secure storage of all food in leakproof and pest proof storage containers (bins with lids), especially overnight or when events are occurring for an extended period.
    2. Consider storing food and waste in a manner as to prevent access by wildlife such as racoons, skunks, squirrels, etc. or pests such as mice and rats in pest-proof bins with tight fitting lids.
    3. Clearly mark waste storage/disposal location that is well lit and away from food vending area.
  5. Assign event staff to monitor food vending and waste storage areas for pest/wildlife activity. If encountered, take immediate action to remove pests/wildlife and continue to monitor throughout the duration of the event. If you do encounter pests despite all your efforts, consult a licensed pest control company to provide you with pest control services. For more information, review the pest control in food premises page.