Why Do Caterers Need Insurance?
Catering businesses involve preparing food, transporting food and serving food. But there are numerous risks that you face when working in the food industry. That’s the nature of the food business. Accidentally storing food at incorrect temperatures can cause severe food poisoning, which you can be held liable for. You may have even assured your customer that their meal does not contain any nuts that could affect their nut allergy but, as it turns out, it does and you had no idea. It was an honest mistake on your part, but your customer is now demanding compensation for their loss of health due to the oversight. Public liability insurance for caterers provides financial protection for your business.
Whether you are a mobile catering business serving food burgers and kebabs from a hot food van or a small stall in your local market place, you can ensure financial protection from such claims. You can also purchase insurance for your food van or food trailer to cover accidental damage, fire and theft (or a combination of all three) which will cover all fixtures and fittings as well as the vehicle itself. Fire is one of the more obvious risks when it comes to any sort of food business, especially when there’s a catering van or trailer with cooking appliances involved.
If you ever cater for events, you will want to consider whether special events are a frequent or a sporadic source of business. Events can include birthday parties, weddings, festivals, business events and conferences ranging from finger food buffets to burgers and chips and even to formal dinners! Maybe you cater for a special event on a weekly basis as your main source of business, or maybe only once a year (if that) as a favour to a friend. It would be handy to know approximately how many people will be in attendance for each event to ensure the most suitable public liability insurance policy for you.
It is a legal requirement for businesses to inform their local authority and the FSA (Food Standards Agency) if they have reason to believe that their food does not comply with food standards and safety regulations, most likely due to quality or labelling issues. In those situations, as a caterer you will know that any contaminated foodstuffs must be immediately thrown out and never served to customers. But sometimes it might not be so obvious that there is an issue at all until it is too late and someone has suffered from food poisoning or an allergic reaction.
Employers liability insurance is also a legal requirement for any business with employees. Even if you only have a single person passing out coffee or a team of waiting staff serving canapés at weddings and functions, you have a legal responsibility for the health and safety of those whom you employ. Employers liability insurance will cover any unfortunate accidents or injuries caused to your employee, including burns from hot cooking equipment and tripping over any misplaced catering equipment.
You will need an insurance broker who will be able to find the best insurance policy bundles specifically designed for your business. Insurance brokers will work to understand your unique business and the potential risks involved, and tailor the best insurance package to save you having to buy separate insurance products. Smaller catering businesses, for example, will not need many of the insurance cover that larger businesses require. So why should you pay for things you don’t need?
Sometimes in the catering industry, you’ll find that you need insurance cover at the drop of a hat. Different venues may require different levels of public liability insurance so it is important to do your research into what you need cover for, as to avoid having to pay for what you don’t.
At Ashburnham Insurance, we can send you over your electronic documentation instantly to provide you cover when you need it.
Call our freephone to get immediate cover or simply to talk to one of our staff for more information!