Safe Food Handling – Cooking Demonstrations and Food Sampling is a guidance sheet from Boulder County Licensing for anyone who cooks on site or hands out food samples. It sets out the handling rules for preparation, cooking, on-site facilities, serving, and storage and transportation, with the temperatures and time limits that apply. It is not an application and has no filing deadline of its own. On FillingPDF you can open the PDF online and download or print it; the original is published by the county at assets.bouldercounty.gov.
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What is Safe Food Handling – Cooking Demonstrations and Food Sampling – Boulder County?
Safe Food Handling – Cooking Demonstrations and Food Sampling is a Boulder County Licensing handout that lists the food safety practices to follow when you run a cooking demonstration or give out food samples, from washing produce to transporting food in clean vehicles.
The sheet is organized in five parts: Preparation, Cooking, On-site, Serving, and Storage & Transportation. Among the rules it prints:
- Cold potentially hazardous samples are kept on ice or in an ice chest at 41°F or less, and are discarded after four hours if not held cold.
- Meats and eggs are checked with a thermometer: poultry 165°F, ground beef 155°F, and fish, eggs, pork and other meats 145°F.
- Handwashing facilities with warm water, soap and single-use paper towels are required, and bathroom facilities must include a handwashing facility.
- Ready-to-eat foods are never handled with bare hands.
- A sample is "a bite" or "a swallow," no larger.
The sheet does not produce a license, permit or registration, and it has no lines to complete. The county's food safety and temporary events page treats temporary event licensing, the Vendor Application and the Coordinator Application as separate steps. This handout is one of the resources a food vendor can use alongside them.
Who needs to file Safe Food Handling – Cooking Demonstrations and Food Sampling – Boulder County?
The sheet is written for people who prepare, cook or serve food samples and cooking demonstrations: vendors, demonstrators, and the staff who hand out tastings.
On the county's page, the groups connected to this kind of food service are:
- Vendors at Temporary Events in Boulder County. All food vendors providing non-prepackaged food are required to have taken a food safety training; the online State Food Safety training meets this requirement.
- Event coordinators, who are responsible for the cost of food safety inspections at the event and who complete the Coordinator Application.
The handout itself does not say who must follow it, who is exempt, or who may act for someone else. The county page says all food vendors are required to obtain a temporary event license, but that some vendors may be exempt from that requirement. Call 303-441-1564 to ask whether your situation is covered.
When to file Safe Food Handling – Cooking Demonstrations and Food Sampling – Boulder County
Nothing is filed with this sheet, so it has no due date. It applies whenever you cook on site or serve samples, and its rules run through the event: the four-hour limit for held-cold samples, the 4-hour re-cleaning of knives and cutting boards, and the 2-hour limit for reheating food to 165°F.
The deadlines on the county's page belong to separate applications for temporary events. Vendors complete the Vendor Application at least 10 days before the event, and coordinators complete the Coordinator Application at least 14 days before the event. The county advises coordinators to contact Boulder County Public Health as soon as possible.
How to fill out Safe Food Handling – Cooking Demonstrations and Food Sampling – Boulder County
Plan preparation and produce washing
Under Preparation, wash all raw produce with cool water and scrub thick-skinned produce with a clean vegetable brush. Keep raw and prepared foods separate and prepare food in a commercial kitchen.
Set cooking and reheating temperatures
Under Cooking, check internal temperature with a thermometer: poultry 165°F, ground beef 155°F, fish, eggs, pork and other meats 145°F. Reheated food must reach 165°F within 2 hours.
Arrange on-site handwashing and bathrooms
Under On-site, provide warm water that dispenses without hands, soap and single-use paper towels. Wash for 20 seconds, and make sure bathroom facilities include a handwashing facility.
Prepare utensils, waste and pest control
Use clean, sanitized knives and cutting boards and re-clean them every 4 hours. Dispose of wastewater into an approved sewage system, cover garbage containers, and keep rodents, insects and birds away from food.
Follow the serving rules
Under Serving, use utensils, tongs, deli tissues or gloves instead of bare hands. Keep cold foods at 41°F or below and hot foods at 135°F or above, or discard food after 4 hours in the danger zone.
Plan storage and transportation
Use food-grade containers, potable-water ice and clean vehicles, and keep chemicals away from food and food contact surfaces.
Review and download the PDF
Check each section against your event plan, then download or print the PDF from FillingPDF to keep with your food service supplies.
How to submit Safe Food Handling – Cooking Demonstrations and Food Sampling – Boulder County
This sheet is not submitted: it is guidance, and it prints no address, portal or fee. The steps that do involve the county are separate:
- Vendor Application: vendors at Temporary Events complete it at least 10 days before the event. They may be asked to give the event coordinator a copy of the confirmation email from Boulder County Public Health.
- Temporary Event license: submit the vendor verification form and call 303-441-1564. Once the application is approved and payment is received, a temporary event license is issued. A fee applies; ask the county for the current amount.
- Coordinator Application: event coordinators complete it at least 14 days before the event, and are notified of approval or non-approval after all vendors have applied.
- Questions or technical problems with the application: call 303-441-1564 and ask for the on-call inspector.
FillingPDF lets you open and download the PDF; any application follows the county's channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving cooked foods, foods with meat or dairy, or cut melons, cut tomatoes and bean sprouts out of cold storage; they must be kept on ice or in an ice chest at 41°F or less.
- Keeping samples that were not held cold past four hours instead of discarding them.
- Serving ready-to-eat foods, including garnishes such as chopped herbs and nuts, with bare hands.
- Dumping wastewater from handwashing, cooking or cleaning onto the ground instead of an approved sewage system such as a mop sink or floor drain.
- Reusing bread sacks, grocery bags or garbage bags to store food; the sheet says they are not food-grade.
- Serving ice that has kept food cold, or making ice from water that is not potable.
- Letting customers reuse single-service items such as tasting cups and toothpicks.
- Offering portions larger than "a bite" or "a swallow."
Frequently asked questions
What is the Safe Food Handling sheet for cooking demonstrations and food samples?
It is a Boulder County Licensing handout listing the food safety practices for cooking demonstrations and food samples. It covers preparation, cooking, on-site facilities, serving, and storage and transportation. It is guidance, not an application, and it does not issue a license.
Do I have to fill out or submit this document?
No. The sheet has no lines to complete and prints no address or deadline. Applications for temporary events, such as the Vendor Application, are separate and are handled through Boulder County Public Health at 303-441-1564.
How long can food samples sit out at a Boulder County event?
Samples of potentially hazardous food that are not held cold must be discarded after four hours. Cold food must stay at 41°F or below and hot food at 135°F or above; food between 41°F and 135°F can stay no more than 4 hours.
What internal temperatures does the sheet require for cooked foods?
Poultry 165°F, ground beef 155°F, and fish, eggs, pork and other meats 145°F, checked with a thermometer. Food that was cooked earlier and is being reheated must reach 165°F within 2 hours from the start of reheating.
What handwashing facilities do I need for food sampling?
Warm water that can be dispensed without using hands, soap and single-use paper towels. The sheet says to rub hands together for 20 seconds, and bathroom facilities must also include a handwashing facility.
Do I need a license to give out food samples at a temporary event?
The county page says all food vendors are required to get a temporary event license from Boulder County Public Health, though some vendors may be exempt. Complete the Vendor Application at least 10 days before the event and call 303-441-1564 with questions.
Does FillingPDF file anything with Boulder County?
No. FillingPDF is an independent service not affiliated with Boulder County. It lets you open this PDF online and download or print it; it does not submit applications, issue licenses or file anything with the county.
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