Caterers Insurance

What Insurance Do I Need as a Caterer?*

Some of the major types of business insurance covers available to caterers in Australia are explained below and include:

• Business Insurance Pack
• Public Liability Insurance
• Commercial Motor insurance
• Plant and Equipment Insurance
• Cyber Insurance

Business insurance pack for caterers*

Caterers may be able to combine multiple covers in a single business insurance pack policy.

By ‘packaging’ their business insurance into a ‘business pack’ caterers can potentially cover many of the risks their business faces in the one policy.

For example, if a catering business has a commercial premises, a business insurance pack may provide cover for buildings and contents if they are accidentally damaged by a defined event, such as fire, storm, impact damage, accidental damage, vandalism, or malicious damage.

Other typical inclusions for caterers with a business insurance pack are Public Liability Insurance and Product Liability Insurance.

Optional inclusions for caterers with a business insurance pack are General Property, Fire and Perils, Contents, Machinery Breakdown, Plant and Stock, Theft, Glass, Money, Business Interruption and Marine Cover.

For example, food spoilage may be covered in the event of machinery breakdown, and loss of profits may be covered under business interruption if caused by a defined event.

Coverage under a business insurance pack for caterers varies depending on the cover options caterers select.

Loss or Damage to food or alcohol stock for caterers

A major storm, power outage or even small fire could leave your catering company with costly damaged or worthless stock of food.

Similarly, food or alcohol may be stolen .

Help reduce the loss or damage to food or alcohol stock by taking the stock and theft cover options as part of your combined business insurance pack.

Smart Business Insurance pro tip: What is the most amount of food and alcohol you stock at any one time? Cover this amount. It’s often at peak times business that major accidents occur.

Contact a Smart Business Insurance broker for more information.

Commercial motor and fleet insurance for self-employed caterers*

Commercial motor and fleet  insurance should be considered for caterers that drive their vehicle for transportation of food, drinks and catering equipment and accessories. Light trucks, vans, trailers and Utes may be covered.

Plant & Equipment Insurance for caterers *

Plant & Equipment Insurance may provide cover for owners of caterers that operate equipment such as fridges, ovens, food processors, food preparation counters and cutting boards, mixers and slicers.

Cover may provide caterers with protection for theft, damage, consequential loss, liability, and machinery breakdown.

Cyber Insurance for caterers *

Your catering company networked computers system are a target for hackers, as is your online store if you have one.

If you are hacked and incur a data breach you may incur significant tech bills, be open to be sued by frustrated customers, and may be subject to thousands of dollars in government fines.

Help reduce the impact of damages from data hacking with cyber insurance – and keep your catering company going.

Why do caterer need product and public liability insurance?*

Public Liability Insurance coverage is essential for all self-employed caterers.

In Australia, public liability insurance also typically includes product liability insurance.

People and property on site may be hurt or damaged due to accidents involving your catering company business activities.

Protections offered to self-employed caterers by public liability insurance in Australia generally include:

• Injury to other persons due to your catering company activities –Where a caterer business activity causes harm to a third-party person. For example, a client is injured when they trip and fall at event you are catering.
• Damage to others property due to your catering company activities – Where a caterer business activity causes damages to a third- party’s property. For example,your catering company team member accidently reverse your catering trailer into a client building damaging that building.
• Harm to other persons or other persons property due to your catering company business’s products – Where a caterer business’s products and goods supplied causes harm to a third party -person or a third- party’s property. For example, foo your catering company has supplied is spoiled and causes a guest to fall badly ill.

Public liability insurance coverage may protect caterers from claims that arise when others allege they are negligent.

A caterer’s public liability policy may provide a defence against the ensuing lawsuit when needed and may pay the damages sought by the injured party.

Public Liability Insurance may provide caterer with protection for slip-and-trip accidents, serious illness caused by food eaten by your clients and their guests.