Following the recall of iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms de Mexico, food safety, while already an important topic, raised a question: whether caterers and venues are informed about recalls and have procedures for removing affected products from their inventory.
To further understand the process the food production process, during the RFP process planners should ask:
- What is your current health inspection score?
- When was it last reviewed?
- How many members of your culinary team hold a food hygiene certification?
- How do you handle food recalls?
- Who oversees the response?
- How do you work with your food service distributors to manage recalls?
- How do you manage food allergies in your kitchen?
The food-safety questions planners can ask venues and catering partners throughout the event planning process
Food and beverage plays a major role in how planners build out an event, but where does food safety come into play throughout the planning process?
The question comes following the recall of iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms de Mexico. The recalled lettuce was distributed to food-service customers in 31 states. As of Aug. 27, the related Cyclospora outbreak had been linked to 11,458 illnesses, 495 hospitalizations and two deaths across 20 states.
Although the investigation remains ongoing, the outbreak raises questions for the meetings and events industry, where feeding hundreds or thousands of attendees requires significant resources and coordination.
According to the FDA, the lettuce should no longer be available in stores or restaurants. This points to a larger concern for planners: whether caterers and venues are informed about recalls and have procedures for removing affected products from their inventory.
To understand how the meetings industry can be more proactive about food safety, Smart Meetings gathered insights from Mary Cline, vice president of national sales at Wolfgang Puck Catering; Eric Vaughn, executive director of culinary operations for Las Vegas region banquets at Caesars Entertainment and Tracy Stuckrath, founder of thrive! meetings & events. They discussed the questions planners should ask and the information their food-service partners can provide.
Why It Matters
The safety of event guests is paramount. Beyond the Taylor Farms recall, food safety should remain part of the planning conversation.
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Stuckrath said food and beverage does not always receive the attention its cost calls for.
“It is our No. 1 expense,” she said.
Questions to Ask
During the RFP process, Stuckrath suggested planners ask:
- What is your current health inspection score?
- When was it last reviewed?
- How many members of your culinary team hold a food hygiene certification?
- How do you handle food recalls?
- Who oversees the response?
- How do you work with your food service distributors to manage recalls?
- How do you manage food allergies in your kitchen?
Cline also suggested opening the conversation with a broader question: “One of the best questions a planner can ask is simply, ‘Tell me about your approach to food safety.’”
What Partners Can Share
It is important for planners to communicate with their partners during a recall, but planners should also understand what information those partners can share before a problem arises.
Vaughn said Caesars can provide planners with:
- Its ServSafe certification roster
- Recent health inspection results
- An overview of its food-safety procedures
- Information about allergen controls
- Storage protocols and temperature-management standards
- Information about its supplier-approval process and product-traceability systems
Caesars also has a dedicated food safety manager. Its executive banquet chefs, banquet chefs, chef tournants and stewarding managers hold ServSafe Manager certifications. The operation also uses a real-time digital refrigeration-monitoring system that generates text and email alerts when temperatures move outside established parameters.
“This upfront transparency signals that safety is engineered into our workflow, not added later,” Vaughn said.
Cline said Wolfgang Puck Catering can discuss:
- Employee training
- Food-safety certifications
- Supplier standards
- Operational procedures
- Dietary management
- Food-handling procedures
“A strong catering partner should be able to explain their process clearly and confidently because food safety is part of how they work every day, not something they only think about when asked,” Cline said.
Ingredient Sourcing and Traceability
According to Stuckrath, hotels should be able to work through their distributors to trace where their food came from, including recalled products.
Similarly, Wolfgang Puck Catering works with approved suppliers and uses traceability systems to track the origins of its ingredients.
“Those relationships, combined with supply chain traceability tools and procurement systems, give us visibility into where ingredients are coming from and help us stay informed about potential concerns,” Cline said.
Caesars Entertainment Meetings and Events also logs and traces ingredients arriving at its operation.
“Every ingredient we receive is logged by lot number and origin, giving us visibility far beyond what consumers experience,” Vaughn said.
In Case of a Recall
Both organizations described the systems they use to respond when a product is recalled.
“As soon as we become aware of a recall, our teams work quickly with suppliers, distributors, culinary leaders and operations teams to determine whether any affected product has entered our supply chain,” Cline said.
If an affected product has entered Wolfgang Puck Catering’s supply chain, the company removes it from inventory and menu plans. The culinary team then seeks a replacement that preserves the dish’s flavor, presentation and intent. The planner is also included in that conversation.
“When a recall is issued, such as the recent lettuce recall, we activate a structured protocol that identifies affected lot numbers, quarantines product, and verifies all storage and prep areas,” Vaughn said.
Caesars also follows supplier instructions for returning or disposing of affected products. If an event is affected, Caesars communicates directly with the planner and updates the banquet event order, or BEO.
Clear Communication
Planners should identify their key venue contacts and establish how questions and concerns will be communicated before the event begins.
“Before the event begins, everyone should know who the key contacts are and how information will be shared if questions arise,” Cline said.
“Once everyone is on site, daily touch-bases between planners and the banquet chef or catering/convention services manager help maintain clarity around timing, allergen labeling, and any program changes that could affect food safety,” Vaughn said.
At the end of the day, regardless of the type of recall involved, everyone wants the event to go well and attendees to feel confident about the food being served.
“It comes down to picking partners who take their food safety seriously,” Stuckrath said, “they need to be able to communicate what their processes are, so we can communicate that to our attendees.”
