The new safety guidelines for LPG, the choice of fuel for many outdoor food operators at festivals and markets, will be released at the Street Food LIVE exhibition at London’s ExCel on 26-27 September.
According to the NCASS, the trade association for mobile caterers and street food traders, there are in excess of 13,000 outdoor catering operators in the UK, running around 15,000 outlets, consuming up to 700,000 cylinders of LPG a year.
Richard Hakeem, UKLPG technical director, said the ‘Use of LPG for Commercial Catering Events, Street Food, and Mobile Catering’ code provides comprehensive guidance on all aspects of using the fuel for cooking in mobile units, tents, marquees and stalls covering areas such as transportation, storage, set up, ventilation and disposal of cylinders.
“LPG is the perfect choice of fuel for outside caterers, giving the benefits of gas wherever it is needed,” said Hakeem. “Its portability means it can be used anywhere from a festival field to a beer garden.
“It is not just used for cooking, but also for heating, power generation and refrigeration, and the codes cover all of the different types of applications, as well as collating in one place all of the legislation and regulations that cover the safe use of LPG.
“It is designed to be of practical support not just to the operators of catering units, but to local authorities, environmental health officers and health and safety advisors.
“As a clean and green fuel, LPG emissions are significantly less than a diesel generator, and noise levels are negligible too, making it not only good news for the environment but for workers too. But, as a gas, it should be treated with the utmost respect."
Bob Fox, chairman at NCASS added: “As our membership grows and outdoor catering becomes increasingly diverse and popular throughout the UK, it is important that the industry puts safety front and centre of all its operations. The new code will prove invaluable in keeping the industry informed of best practice.”