Let’s celebrate safely together - Food Standards Agency reminds communities how to serve up safe food at street parties

To help ensure a safe celebration, remember warm weather and outdoor cooking are the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow, and so think ahead with some simple food safety tips when preparing and serving chilled food at your street party or gathering.

Narriman Looch, Head of Foodborne Disease Control at the FSA said:

“We are delighted that the Queen's Platinum Jubilee gives communities a chance to enjoy getting together over the long weekend to celebrate this historic milestone. Celebrating safely means thinking about food safety ahead of time, so on the day you can concentrate on enjoying the party.

“We know there’s a lot to organise, so the FSA has published easy food safety tips for community events that involve bringing food to share with others. Don’t forget hygiene is important, so plan out carefully how you will prepare, make and store food. None of us want unsafe food to affect the fun we will all hope to have on the day.”

Planning an event? Here are some simple tips if you're making food for large numbers of people: 

• wash your hands regularly with soap and water before food preparation and consumption
• always wash fresh fruit and vegetables
• keep raw and ready-to-eat foods apart
• do not use food past its use-by date
• always read any cooking instructions and make sure food is properly cooked before you serve it – it needs to be piping hot
• ensure that food preparation areas are cleaned and sanitised before and after use and ensure equipment is washed in hot soapy water
• plan ahead to keep your food cool until you're ready to eat. Any foods which you would usually keep in the fridge at home also need to be kept cool for your event. This includes; any food with a use-by-date, cooked dishes, salads and dairy products.
• place these foods in a cool box or cool bag with ice or frozen gel packs. Distribute these throughout the box or bag, not all at the bottom. You can also use frozen drinks to help keep your cool box cold. Store cold food below five degrees to prevent bacteria from growing. 

You do not need a food hygiene training certificate to make and sell food for charity events, however, you need to make sure that you handle food safely.  Following FSA guidance on the 4 C’s: cleaning, chilling, cooking, avoiding cross-contamination will help you prepare a safe feast for your community.

If you are putting on a one-off event for friends and neighbours, you do not need to register, however if any food businesses are present they must be registered with the local council.

Find out more about street parties by visiting food.gov.uk.