Temporary Food Service Information
The Safety Department has adopted the following procedures to ensure that basic food sanitation requirements and practices are incorporated into temporary food service locations on campus whether the food be for sale or gratis.
When foods are prepared and/or served by organized University groups for special meals or events of a temporary nature, the Department of Safety must be notified at least 7 days in advance. Notification should include a statement in writing of what foods are to be prepared, where they are to be prepared, who is to prepare them, where they are to be served, and where they are to be refrigerated or otherwise protected against contamination between the time of preparation and serving
You must have a food permit [PDF] to sell/serve food on campus. The approved permit must be displayed at the sale or serving site.
It is necessary that all food products be prepared, held and handled in as safe and sanitary a manner as possible. The food must be prepared in an approved food preparation area such as a University kitchen, a residence hall kitchen, or in some licensed food establishment other than at the University. This precludes the preparation of the food in the homes of individuals.
Acceptable places where food may be prepared for sale or gratis distribution on campus include:
- Any licensed location such as a University kitchen, church kitchen, commercial kitchen, fraternity or sorority, etc.
- The small University student kitchens in Residence Halls (with permission of the appropriate persons in charge); See the "Student Kitchen Sanitation Guidelines" for other requirements.
- The kitchens in Resident Directors' apartments.
Foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, etc., may be cooked outside at the location where they are to be sold or served, if the location and handling procedures are satisfactory and refrigeration is available in an acceptable form.
An exception to the above may be made for products of a non-potentially hazardous nature, such as baked goods (cookies, brownies, etc.), at the discretion of the Safety Department. If in doubt about the need for a permit, contact the Safety Department for guidance at 740.593.1666 or safety@ohio.edu.
The above criteria shall not apply to licensed Food Service Operations which in the course of routine business operations provide delivery service of their products to residence halls, etc. However, these businesses must complete and submit for approval the permit to sell/serve food on campus [PDF] for various special events such as festivals, etc., of a temporary nature.
All forms must be returned to University Service Center located at 49 Factory Street or faxed to 740.593.0808 for approval