Food Hygiene Standards for Your Caterer

The food at your wedding is an important part of making it a successful wedding party. Keep in mind that food that is not handled, prepared and stored correctly can cause your wedding guests to get food poisoned.

To avoid any issues or illnesses at the wedding, you need to get some food safety education and practice some common sense.

The first thing you need to do is to meet with your caterer and let them know you are fully aware of the precautions that need to be taken and that you are concerned about the safety of your guests.

If you are having your wedding outdoors during summer, you need to know that the amount of time that food can go unrefrigerated is only about one hour, and even less for some food like fish, salmon or creams. So you need to remind your caterer about this.

As for the minimum standards that you should look for when meeting a caterer, here is what you need to do…

-Make sure that the staff is well trained and educated in food safety. If they have certifications like HACCP or ISO, it’s even better.

-It wouldn't hurt if you keep an eye on the caterer and the staff's clothing and uniforms as they must be clean. Hair must be tied back and covered. Gloves should be worn by all food handlers.

-Ask you caterer to make sure that cold storage and temperatures are regularly checked.

-Food should be covered during the set up time to avoid any contamination. They should be unwrapped just before serving.

Any professional caterer will not mind you asking any questions and will make sure to provide all your requirements.