With warmer weather on the horizon we are going to see more local events pop up. That means we will also be seeing more local food vendors serving the community. There is one thing that all vendors and event organizers should keep in mind, food safety.
Benton Franklin health District wants to remind vendors and organizers alike about safety protocols and permits that are required at every event.
“Anyone who has a business selling foods and stuff like that we want to work with them and we want to make sure people continue to return for their business’s sake. We want them to continue to operate and continue to serve the public but we also need to make sure the public is served safely” said Alea Jensen, Food Safety Lead at Benton Franklin Health District.
According to BFHD, when inspectors arrive with their clipboard on top of assessing risk levels for each vendor they are making sure each vendor is following these three rules:
1. Each vendor must have a hand washing station available at all times. Even if you have the right permits but don’t have a hand washing station, BFHD will shut you down.
2. If you are dealing with fresh produce, you need to have a produce washing station as well.
3. Every vendor must have access to gloves and tongs to make sure everything is sanitary.
“Once we do the inspection, if we write you up for something we explain the rule and let them know how to correct it. If we can correct it on site then we just walk them through it” said Alea Jensen, Food Safety Lead at Benton Franklin Health District.
The owner of Knots and Grounds Espresso, Kollin Bartlett, recently was asked to leave from a local event because he lacked the proper permits to sell coffee at that location.
According to BFHD, the permits themselves need to be bought 2 weeks in advance of whatever event you will be serving at. After that, there will be a 30 dollar late fee and if you try to get the permit 3 days prior to the event you will be charged a double late fee which is 60 dollars. The permits themselves will also cost you money depending on the risk level of your booth, the base fee for these permits are:
Risk 1: which deals with limited food preparation like coffee shops or ice cream shops costs you about $60.
Risk 2: which deals with raw food prep like quick service vendors, delis or sandwich shops costs you $90.
Risk 3: which deals with advanced food prep like restaurants or buffets will cost you $110.
If the organizer of the event has received a special events permit, you still need to get a temporary food permit to sell food at that event.
BFHD constantly updates the public about local businesses who have recently failed their health inspections. You can see more about that here.
To find out more information about getting a temporary food permit for an upcoming event you can visit BFHD’s office at 7102 W Okanogan Pl, Kennewick, WA 99336 or visit their website here.
