The Four-Hour Scramble: Food Safety Challenges on the Road

Packing and transporting your catered food presents you with some unique challenges. The biggest one - after you have wedged everything into your catering vehicle - is that the clock is ticking on your food's safety.

The first overriding consideration is one that's not unlike managing food to be served in a stationery facility. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold and, at all costs, avoid spillage. This is accomplished by using insulated coolers, refrigerated vehicles, and portable warming units. That's a lot to pack for serving your on-site catering clients.

Start with food properly cooked and held at the proper temperature, then transport the food and serve it within four hours. Discard any leftovers. Sounds simple enough.

That four-hour time frame is critical to success and safety. If you can control the temperature of the food, then keep hot food above 135 degrees Fahrenheit and cold food below 41 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are not controlling the temperature — which is often acceptable — you have four hours to serve it. You can add food to food already on the buffet as long as the original food is out for four hours maximum. That gives you time to cook and serve items anticipated to be popular or items your guests love best fresh from the stove top.

Presentation is key to catering as you well know. If your menu calls for a display on crushed ice, don't use that ice for anything else. Use something clean and thin to provide a barrier between your food and ice, and provide a porous container for the ice to drain quickly as it melts.

Finally, review basic food-handling guidelines with your service staff. Wash the hands. Don't come to work if you are sick, and please, please pay attention to time and temperature. Most state laws for buffets call for a new plate at the buffet, and the same should be carefully dictated for catered food.

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