Catering logistics: transport, cold chain and hygiene on the road

Planning: from the order to the schedule

Good logistics doesn't start at the van, it starts with the quote. If you know how many guests are coming, when they eat, how far you drive and what's available on site, you can plan the menu, containers and staff to fit. Many problems on the day happen because one of these questions was left open. How to put together your offer and prices is covered in the guide to the catering offer. This guide is about everything that comes after.

Also agree with the client who is responsible for what on site. The Austrian guideline for caterers states it explicitly: if the client or their staff serve the food themselves, they are responsible for hygiene during service. Put such agreements into the order confirmation so there are no misunderstandings later.

Transport: vehicle, containers and loading

Unpackaged food must be transported so that it can't be contaminated by air, the floor, clothing or the person carrying it. In practice that means: cover or seal everything, clean containers, a clean vehicle. Transport containers and aids such as trolleys or crates must be easy to clean and kept in good condition. A van that carried drinks crates or tools in the morning is only suitable if the load area has been cleaned afterwards.

Pack food so that items don't affect each other. The guideline gives two examples every caterer should know: don't pack chilled food together with hot food and don't pack gluten-free food together with food containing gluten. The same applies to all allergens. Label allergen-free portions clearly and transport them separately. Which labelling applies at buffets is explained in the allergen guides for Austria and Germany.

Cold chain and hot holding: the temperatures

Under the EU hygiene regulation, the cold chain must not be interrupted for food that can't be stored safely at room temperature. Short deviations are allowed where they are necessary for practical reasons during transport or service and don't put health at risk. The regulation doesn't give specific figures for most dishes. Those are found in sector hygiene guidelines, standards and your own HACCP plan. The values below are reference values from official sources. What counts is what your food inspection authority and your guideline require.

In Germany, older standards and many sector guidelines still give 65 °C for hot holding. In 2020 the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) assessed the temperature above which the typical bacteria in hot food stop growing and considers at least 60 °C at every point sufficient. If you plan with 65 °C, you are on the safe side in both countries and have a buffer when a container cools a little after opening. Many guidelines also limit the total holding time from finishing to serving to a few hours. So don't finish cooking hours before departure just because you happen to have time.

• Hot in, hot out: fill food straight from the oven or kettle into preheated containers and close them immediately.
• Cold stays cold: take chilled food out of the cold room just before departure, never put hot and cold food in the same box.
• Measure the core temperature, not the air in the box: probe thermometer into the centre of the food, cleaned after every reading.
• A deviation means action: if a hot dish is too cold, it is reheated sufficiently on site or not served. Chilled food that is too warm is assessed according to your HACCP plan and thrown away if in doubt.
• Top up several times instead of putting everything on the buffet at once, as the guideline also recommends for long service times.

HACCP records on the road

Under the EU hygiene regulation, every food business must run a self-monitoring system based on HACCP principles. For caterers, transport is a critical stage of its own, because this is where food leaves the controlled environment of the kitchen. Keep the paperwork simple: one form per job that travels with the team and is filed afterwards beats a sophisticated system nobody fills in under stress. The basics of registration and self-monitoring are described in the snack bar guides for Austria and Germany.

The initials of the person who measured are important. In an inspection or after a guest complaint, they let you show that the cold chain was kept. Wireless thermometers or data loggers in cool boxes and the vehicle take over part of the work and record the whole drive without gaps. They don't replace measuring the food itself, though.

Packing lists: forget nothing

The missing serving utensils, the forgotten can opener or the extension cables still sitting in the storeroom: almost every caterer has stories like these. A fixed packing list per type of job, such as finger food, hot buffet or barbecue, is the simplest insurance against them. The list is ticked off when loading and again when packing up, so nothing is left behind.

For buffet signage, a standard template you fill in for each job is worth it. With the allergen legend you can create a clear, printable explanation of the allergen codes that fits next to the buffet.

Setup and service on site

On arrival, the first minutes count. Before the first box is opened, clarify where hands are washed, where chilled food stays cold and where dirty dishes and waste are collected. The guideline for caterers requires the conditions on site, especially hand-washing facilities, to be checked in advance. If there is no basin, bring a mobile solution.

The same principles apply to snack bars and food trucks at events, just with more walk-in customers and usually even less space. What to agree with the organiser about power, water and pitch is covered in the article on food trucks at events.

Return trip, leftovers and cleaning

The end of the event is the trickiest moment for hygiene, because everyone is tired and wants to finish quickly. The guideline for caterers is clear here: hygienically sensitive food that guests had direct access to is thrown away. Towards the end of the evening, only food without risk should be on offer, such as fruit, pastries or biscuits. Food that stayed in your control as a reserve, meaning sealed, kept chilled or hot and never on the buffet, may be reused as long as it hasn't been adversely affected.

Food waste is best avoided in advance: with realistic quantity planning, a binding guest count and a reserve that stays separate. The recipe scaler adjusts your recipes to the confirmed guest count, so purchasing and production match. After every job, note how much of what was left over. After a few events your planning becomes much more precise. How to win and keep regular clients for company events and private parties is covered in the guide to winning catering clients.