Decide whether the venue, a caterer, or your own team supplies food. Name the responsible food-safety lead and confirm the required approvals and training.
Build menus around the actual group, storage, kitchen capacity, and service times. Plan enough food and suitable alternatives. A participant should not miss meals because the kitchen forgot an agreed requirement.
Gather relevant dietary information before ordering. Confirm ingredient questions with the supplier; do not guess. Explain the limits of cross-contact controls honestly rather than making unsupported “allergen-free” claims.
Separate food preparation from art, maintenance, medicines, and other materials. Follow approved storage, temperature, cleaning, and waste procedures. This business guide is not a food-handling course.
Keep illness reporting clear. CDC's norovirus guidance emphasizes soap-and-water handwashing and avoiding food preparation or care of others while ill and for at least forty-eight hours after symptoms stop; local health directions may require more.1
Schedule staff meals and breaks too. A worker skipping food to cover every meal period is a staffing issue, not dedication to celebrate.
Your task: Test one meal service with an allergy question, a late activity group, and an unexpected dietary substitution.
Sources for this page
- CDC, How to Prevent Norovirus. Handwashing, illness precautions, food handling, and cleanup. Follow local health directions. ↩