Catering

First published 5th Jan, 2024

The Event Organiser is responsible for ensuring all catering arrangements comply with:

The Council requires food business attending events on their land to be broadly compliant.  This means, any food and/or drink provider must have a food hygiene rating of 3 or above in order to trade at events held on Cardiff Council owned land. This includes public/guest catering, food stalls and exhibitors, bars (mobile units and temporary builds on site), crew/staff catering, VIP/hospitality catering, businesses offering samples, etc.

Food hygiene ratings for individual food and drink businesses can be found on the food hygiene ratings website https://ratings.food.gov.uk/

Event organisers are also responsible for double checking the food hygiene ratings for each food/drink business at least 3 weeks before the event to ensure ratings are still current. Delays on information being supplied may incur a cost and/or possible interventions at the discretion of SRS. Failure to adhere to these requirements could result in food/ drink providers being removed from an event site.

The hirer is responsible for ensuring that all third party food traders have attained a minimum food hygiene rating of 3 in compliance to the Food Safety Broadly Compliant Policy.  Catering includes:

  • Crew/staff catering
  • Public / guest catering
  • VIP catering
  • Food stalls and exhibitors
  • Bars (mobile units and temporary builds on site)

The following information should be provided in Part 2 of your event application form:

  • Name of Catering Unit (registered)
  • Name of Catering Unit (trading name if different to above)
  • Registered postcode
  • Link to rating via Food Standards Agency
  • Name and contact details for person onsite with overall responsibility for checking catering unit compliance with star rating

The list provided will be check by the Bute Park Events Officer in advance of your event. There can be no changes to your catering arrangements without prior approval and relevant paperwork being in place.

The hirer is responsible for double checking the ratings for each unit 2 weeks before the event to ensure that the rating is current and above 3 stars as things can change.

A representative of the venue will confirm the name and rating of each unit upon arrival on site.  Units who cannot evidence the minimum 3/5 rating required may be denied entry or prevented from trading on site.

Catering facilities provided at public events, may be inspected by an Environmental Health Officer at any time.  Mobile catering units not deemed acceptable by Environmental Services shall be refused entry to the Park.

The Council accepts no responsibility or liability for the cancellation or closure of the event, or the closure of any individual catering units, due to failure to comply with instructions issued by an Environmental Health Officer.

An Outdoor Catering Checklist is available to help you ensure that your food businesses operate to the highest standards of hygiene throughout the event.  This checklist is based upon the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health’s Guidelines for Outdoor Catering Events.  The Event Organiser is responsible that all caterers are provided with a contractor’s checklist and are informed of and abide by the Terms & Conditions set out in this manual.  You should work through the checklist and ensure that you have everything in place prior to the event.

The Council’s Shared Regulatory Services wishes to encourage and promote the availability of food which is wholesome and of high nutritional quality.

All mobile catering units shall provide litter bins next to their units which must be emptied at regular intervals during an event.

Hand washing requirements for food businesses operating at events:

  • Teal units with running water: all caterers; retailers of open high risk ready to eat foods such as meat pies, cheese, ice-cream, cooked meats and similar deli items, cooked shellfish, et al; retailers of raw meats/ fish/ poultry; all those providing tasters as there will be open foods and handling
  • Bowl of water (must have access to hot water and be able to regularly replenish to avoid a bacteria soup): retailers of low risk open foods such as confectionary, breads, biscuits et al
  • Communal access to hand wash facilities: retailers of all packaged foods where there is no unwrapping/ cutting and the product is sold wrapped and sealed as it arrived on site.
  • All must have suitable antibac hand wash and a suitable means of drying hands such as disposable paper towels.

HSE Guidance

Contact Events Liaison Panel
See ELP
See Licensable Activity
See Trading Standards

All event guidance