University Food Service Policy

I.    POLICY STATEMENT AND PURPOSE

The following policy reviews the parameters for providing food at meetings or events on Bowling Green State University (the “University”) grounds. The purpose of the policy is to outline the standard protocols associated with serving food and/or accepting donation of food for the purpose of supporting a meeting or event. 

A.    Definitions

The risk associated with providing food service at the University is of the utmost concern. To ensure the safety of our guests, foods to be served are divided into two categories, each with their own rules for safe handling.

• High-risk foods: In simple terms this means food that may become harmful to the consumer if it is not stored or handled correctly. Such foods are usually high in protein and require strict temperature controls (stored in a cold or hot holding device prior to consumption). When served, high-risk foods should only be handled by certified food handlers to further protect against contamination. Examples include: Cooked meat and poultry such as beef, pork, ham, chicken, raw meat, fish, oysters, poultry, milk, desserts containing dairy products, tofu, cooked rice, and lasagna.
• Low-risk foods are ambient-stable foods such as: bagels, baked goods, pies (no cream), cakes, packaged snack foods, candy, popcorn and non-processed fruit and vegetables. BGSU Dining has also approved pizza and subs (without condiments) to the list of low-risk foods.

B.    Procedures

Food served on the BGSU campus must be approved and coordinated through the designated booking agent of the venue it is being provided in. Please see the booking agent for venue specific requirements, as each location may have additional terms and conditions for food service. 

1. When Student Budget Committee (SBC) funds are being used to purchase food and/or beverages, BGSU Dining/Catering must provide this service. BGSU Catering requires food and beverage orders be placed no less than two weeks (10 working days) prior to the event date.  Requests made less than two weeks prior may be directed to an alternative BGSU Dining outlet. 
2. Registered Student Organizations may purchase low-risk foods (see Section 6 for approved terms) using personal funds and/or funds they have raised (non-University appropriated dollars) to support a meeting or event in approved locations as permitted by the booking agent for a particular location.
3. Approved Terms to Sell/Resell and/or Serve High-Risk (Perishable) Foods on Campus:
   a.    Only contracted and approved caterers for the University (currently BGSU Dining and Sodexo) are permitted to sell/resell and/or manage the preparation and serving of high-risk foods consumed on campus in order to control food safety hazards that might arise during all aspects of food service (receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, cooling, reheating, holding, assembling, packaging, transporting and serving).
4. Approved Terms to Serve Low-Risk Foods on Campus:
   a.    Food purchased from an off campus provider that is to be served at a meeting or event, whether it is picked-up or delivered, must not contain any high-risk foods and must not be in excess of a $75.00 total meeting/event purchase (not applicable in the Bowen Thompson Student Union or Olscamp Hall, where all food purchases must be from BGSU Dining outlets and/or provided by BGSU Catering). 
   b.    For Registered Student Organizations, if donated products are to be served, a Food Donation Request form must be submitted for approval with the Conference & Event Services (C&ES) office at least two weeks prior to the event. The form can be found at http://www.bgsu.edu/bowen-thompson-student-union/food-donation-request.html. The liability factor of donated food may fall on the University Student Organization sponsoring the event.
   c.    Baked Goods provided for the purpose of fundraising for Registered Student Organizations must meet the low risk food requirements. If Baked Goods are donated, a Food Donation Request form is required. Additional guidelines for serving baked goods must be followed and can be found at http://www.bgsu.edu/bowen-thompson-student-union/guidelines-for-serving-baked-goods.html.

II.    IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICY

This policy is implemented by the office of Conference & Event Services (C&ES) office under the direction of BGSU Dining and the office of the Vice President of Finance and Administration. For questions pertaining to this policy, please contact BGSU Dining at Dining@bgsu.edu or 419-372-2891.