1. Overview

   This policy ensures 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 to be prepared or served by organized university groups for special meals or events of a temporary nature the department of environmental health and safety should be notified at least forty-eight hours 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, if necessary, or otherwise protected against contamination or spoilage between the time of preparation and serving. A method must be provided for patron and worker hand-washing.

   A  completed " Permit to Sell/Serve Food on Campus " shall be sufficient for the above required written notification. The  approved permit must be displayed at the sale or serving site.

   Informal, small-group, "pot-luck" events in which no money changes hands (neither as "donation" nor as "price") are not subject to the requirements of this policy, but the participants are encouraged to notify environmental health and safety of the planned activity, and to follow safe food-handling practices.

   Policy  47.015  may also apply.

2. Process

   It is necessary that all food products be prepared, held, and handled in as safe and sanitary a manner as possible. The food should 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 forbids the preparation of the food in the homes of individuals (with the possible exception of baked goods and potlucks as exempted above).

   Acceptable places where food may be prepared for sale or gratis distribution on campus are:

   1. Any  licensed location such as a university kitchen, church kitchen, commercial kitchen, fraternity or sorority, etc.

   2. The small university student kitchens located at Nelson, Bryan, Brough, Hoover, and Voigt halls.

   3. The kitchens in resident directors' apartments.

   Foods such as hotdogs, hamburgers, steaks, etc., may, of course, 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, and an onsite hand-washing facility is provided.

   An exception to the above may be made for products that are not of a potentially hazardous nature, such as baked goods (cookies, brownies, etc.), at the discretion of environmental health and safety. If in doubt about the need for a permit, contact the department of environmental health and safety for guidance, or visit their web site,  https://www.ohio.edu/riskandsafety/ehs/ .

   The above criteria  shall not apply to licensed food service operations, which in the course of routine business operations provide delivery services of their products to residence halls, etc. However these businesses  shall complete and submit for approval the " Permit to Sell/Serve Food on Campus " for various special events such as festivals, etc., of a temporary nature.

Reviewers

Proposed revisions of this policy should be reviewed by:

1. Vice President for Finance and Administration

2. Vice President for Student Affairs

3. Associate Vice President for Facilities Management and Safety

4. Director of Housing and Food Services

Forms, References, and History

1. Forms

   The following forms are specific to this policy:

   1. The "Permit to Sell/Serve Food on Campus" is available from Environmental Health and Safety.

2. References

   The following item is relevant to this policy:

   1. Policy  01.025 , "Use of Ohio University Facilities."

   2. Policy  01.030 , "Production and Hosting of Major Events."

   3. Policy  24.016 , "Use of Outdoor Space on the Athens Campus."

   4. Policy  47.015 , "Catering."

3. History

   Draft versions of this policy that were circulated for review, their cover memos, their forms, and Reviewers' comments on them are available on the password-protected Review site.

   Prior versions of this policy were approved on:

   1. May 28, 2009

   2. January 6, 2004

   3. October 25, 2002 (re-numbered with no other change)

   4. February 11, 1985 (as Policy 23.002)