THE DEADLINE FOR FOOD VENDORS HAS PASSED, WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY NEW FOOD VENDORS AT THIS TIME.
Vendors at Veg Fest Vancouver are welcome to sell or give away food or beverages. If you do offer food or beverages at the festival, you must observe the following rules and guidelines. Please note that there will be a health inspector on site, so there is very little flexibility in regards to food handling. Failure to adhere to the food handling rules can result in eviction from the festival, so please read the following information carefully.
As a food vendor, you will fall into one of the following three categories. Please note the rules and restrictions of each category:
- Pre-packaged foods – If the food is sealed and not opened prior to being served to the customer, and does not require heating or cooling, then there are no special food handling requirements. All vendors are welcome to serve packaged foods. Please note that these foods must have been prepared in a commercially licenced kitchen and are properly packaged.
- Prepared foods which are not pre-packaged – This includes all items which are made off-site and do not require any preparation, heating or cooling while at the festival (such as baked goods). Note that the foods must have been prepared in a commercially licenced kitchen. This also requires that at least one person staffing the table has a food-safe certificate, and a handwash station is near by (with hot and cold running water, shared with no more than 3 other tables). The handwash stations will be provided for businesses, as needed. Because of the additional expense, handwash stations are not available for non-profit or artisan tables. Instead, you may register you for a business space ($100).
- Food prepared on-site – If food will be prepared, heated, cooled, or handled at the festival, you must follow proper food safe regulations (see below), have a food safe certificate, and have a handwash station at your booth with running hot and cold water (shared with no more than one other booth). Handwash stations and electricity will be provided for businesses who register for a restaurant space ($140).
Food Safe Regulations
If you will have food at the festival, please read the following documents from Vancouver Coastal Health:
Regional Health Protection Guideline: Construction and Operation of a Temporary Food Booth
Temporary Food Service Application
You do not need to submit the food service application to Vancouver Coastal Health, instead you will need to provide that information to the Veg Fest Vancouver organizers when requested.