What insurance to require from food vendors.
The certificate of insurance is the document most organizers collect and fewest actually read. Here is what the numbers and the wording mean, what to require by event type, and the five checks that catch a bad certificate before event day.
The coverage that matters: general liability
Commercial general liability (GL) is the policy that responds when a guest is injured or made ill by the vendor’s operations: a burn at the service window, a trip over a cable, a foodborne illness claim. Common requirements by event type:
- Private or small community events: $300,000 per occurrence is a common floor.
- Festivals, breweries, corporate campuses: $1,000,000 per occurrence, often with a $2,000,000 general aggregate.
- Cities and public property: $1,000,000 per occurrence is typical, sometimes higher for large events, and always with the municipality’s exact wording requirements.
Foodborne illness claims usually land under the policy’s products and completed operations coverage, so confirm the certificate shows that aggregate too.
Additional insured vs certificate holder
This is the single most misunderstood line on a COI, and the one that determines whether the paper protects you.
- Certificate holder means you receive the certificate. It is proof the policy exists and nothing more.
- Additional insured means the vendor’s policy extends coverage to your organization for claims arising out of the vendor’s work at your event. This is the protection.
Require additional insured status by name: the organizer, the property owner if different, and on public property, the city. State the requirement in your vendor application so certificates arrive correct instead of getting rejected by risk management the week of the event.
The five-point COI check
- Expiration date falls after your event date, not just after today.
- GL limit meets your stated requirement per occurrence.
- Additional insured names your organization (and property owner) exactly.
- Certificate holder wording matches what your city or property owner requires, letter for letter.
- Insured name matches the vendor actually showing up. A certificate for a different LLC than the truck in your lot is a real and common mismatch.
Other coverages worth knowing
- Commercial auto liability. The truck is a vehicle; driving incidents fall under auto, not GL. Relevant if trucks move through crowds or park on your property.
- Workers compensation. Required in Florida for food service businesses with four or more employees. Usually treated as the vendor’s own obligation unless the property owner demands proof.
- Liquor liability. Only relevant if the vendor serves alcohol, which is rare for food trucks and separately licensed.
Insurance is half the picture
A COI tells you a claim would be covered. It says nothing about how likely the claim is. That is what the vendor’s Florida DBPR inspection history is for: you can look up any Florida food truck or caterer’s scored record free at venumark.com/search before you book. The full document list by event type lives in our organizer checklists.
Frequently asked questions
How much insurance should a food truck have for an event?
General liability of $300,000 per occurrence is a common floor for small private events; festivals, cities, and corporate campuses commonly require $1,000,000 per occurrence with $2,000,000 aggregate. Match the requirement to the property owner and, if the event is on public land, to the municipality’s published minimums.
What is the difference between certificate holder and additional insured?
The certificate holder simply receives a copy of the certificate as proof the policy exists. An additional insured is actually extended coverage under the vendor’s policy for claims arising from the vendor’s operations. Organizers and property owners should require additional insured status, not just certificate holder.
What should I check on a food vendor COI?
Five things: the policy expiration date falls after your event date, the general liability limit meets your requirement, your organization is named as additional insured, the certificate holder wording matches what your city or property owner requires, and the insured name matches the business actually showing up.
Do food trucks need workers compensation in Florida?
Florida requires workers compensation for food service businesses with four or more employees. Many trucks run smaller crews and are exempt. Most organizers require proof of general liability and treat workers comp as the vendor’s own compliance obligation, unless the property owner demands it.
Does a vendor’s COI cover food poisoning claims?
General liability policies typically include products and completed operations coverage, which is where foodborne illness claims land. Confirm the certificate shows a products/completed operations aggregate. This, alongside the vendor’s DBPR inspection history, is the core of food-risk diligence.
Related resources
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