A lot of time and effort is going into planning your event to make it successful. If your upcoming event will include food vendors, it is important to ensure that foods are prepared and handled safely. While keeping food safe is always important, food preparation during an event can present its own set of challenges. Many things, including water supply, wastewater disposal, trash disposal, traffic and dust, must be planned and controlled to allow for a safe food service environment.

Temporary foodservice vendors wishing to set up operation in Craven County must pay the appropriate fee when submitting the required Temporary Foodservice Establishment (TFE) application (see Applications link). Temporary foodservice establishment applications and fees must be submitted to the Craven County Health Department office no less than 14 calendar days prior to the date of the event. Applications and fees will NOT be collected at the festival site.

A temporary foodservice establishment is defined as a food or drink establishment which operates for a period of 15 days or less in connection with a fair, carnival, circus, public exhibition or other similar gathering. In Craven County temporary foodservice establishments have operated at events such as MumFest, local carnivals and the traveling circus.

A fee will not be required for those food vendors that are exempt from obtaining a TFE permit, for example, nonprofit organizations that operate no longer than two consecutive days and no more than one time each month and mobile food units able to operate under their current permit. This department may require proof of the organization’s nonprofit status, such as a letter or form from the Internal Revenue Service, which certifies the group as being a nonprofit organization (these forms are sometimes referred to as 501-C Nonprofit Status forms). The Health Department does not regulate food vendors that only prepare and sell items such as funnel cakes, cotton candy, candy apples, popcorn or ice cream. We do request that event coordinators provide a list of all food vendors with their contact information to allow our office to have a complete record for each event.

Please complete the Event Coordinator Application and return it to our office at least 30-days prior to the event to provide the following necessary details:

• Approved sewage disposal (example: Port-a-Potty Pumper) with a signed contract, to include facilities for food service wastewater,
• Potable water source,
• Toilet facilities accessible to the workers,
• Trash disposal,
• Electrical hook-ups, if needed, and
• List of all food vendors with contact information.