Everyone loves the lively atmosphere, great sounds, and tasty treats at summer music festivals. But when the summer heat cranks up, that can create safety challenges for burger stands and food trucks. Extensive behind-the-scenes planning is part of the process to help ensure food is delicious and safe.
Keep reading to learn how music festivals keep food fresh in the heat.
Building an Effective Cold Chain Strategy
Food must remain at a safe temperature throughout the shipment and storage process. Before burgers find their way to a grill at a music festival, they need to travel through the supply chain, also known as the cold chain, given the temperature concerns. The goal is to make sure that food is handled safely throughout the journey to the festival.
Everything from milk to cheese, meat, and sauces must be refrigerated when traveling to the festival. It should arrive as close to the start of the festival as possible. And cooks handling the food need to make sure it doesn’t sit out in the summer heat longer than it should.
Relying on Generators
Electricity isn’t always easy to access at music festivals. As a result, food stands tend to use generators to fuel their commercial refrigeration equipment and freezers. The best generators can ensure consistency with temperatures, even when staff are reaching in frequently to grab ingredients.
Most food vendors will also have backup generators. After all, if a power source fails, that could derail their food operation. It’s critical for vendors to monitor temperatures to make sure they’re serving guests safe meals.
Transporting Ingredients Safely
Food trucks and other operations must be mindful of the packaging they use during transport. There could be a long trek across a parking lot or grassy space. And it may take time to set up the equipment and power up the generator.
Food vendors must use containers loaded with ice packs. Containers should have thick walls and strong seals. Vendors also should try to keep packaged food in the shade until it can be loaded into a fridge or freezer.
Monitoring Temperatures with Digital Thermometers
Staff can’t afford to assume that food temperatures are always safe at summer music festivals. Constant monitoring with digital thermometers is the only way to be certain that meats, sauces, and other foods are safe for consumption.
Food vendors should maintain food logs, with staff updating them each hour. Everyone should know the protocol for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, too, during food prep. Ultimately, developing consistent workflows and training staff helps food vendors keep operations safely humming during busy summer festivals.
Maintaining a Safe Environment at Festivals
Music festivals can be a great time as people relax, listen to tunes, and taste delicious food during the summer months. Practicing proper food safety is central to helping these events go off without a hitch. Vendors must store food in insulated containers, use generators, and make sure staff know their safety plan.
With a streamlined approach, food vendors can keep food safe and help make music festivals great.
