SURREY – You are going to need a permit to cook and serve food at this year’s Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan (procession) in Surrey, especially if you are making it at home.
The permit is free but the Health Authorities most likely wants to track down people who provide home cooked meals at the annual most attended event in case some food causes sickness or leads to some health issues.
The city of Vancouver, where the second Vaisakhi parade is held, has not followed suit yet in requiring health permits there. But they may soon follow!
Erin Labbé, a spokeswoman for Fraser Health, said officials will be following the health authority’s enforcement protocols for the April 18 event.
“Sometimes at festivals, depending on the types of foods served and the duration of the event, enforcement can lead to immediate closures, based on risk,” Labbé said.
However, the food safety regulations don’t apply to people serving home-cooked meals on their own property along the parade route. This means if people are standing on their own front lawns serving their meals they are not at risk of being shut down, reported Surrey-North Delta Leader newspaper .
On the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade website, there’s a link for “Helpful Hints for Food Preparation” (http://www.surreyvaisakhiparade.ca/files/helpful-hints.php).
There’s information on hand washing and food storage, as well as how to properly sanitize working surfaces and clean cooking utensils, pots and pans.
The temporary food premises permit application is free and available on the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade’s website under the “Food Premises Application” tab. The application must be submitted 10 to 14 days prior to the parade.
This year’s Vaisakhi parade takes place on Saturday, April 18. It begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar temple at 12665 85 Ave. and runs until about 4 p.m.
Surrey’s parade is the second-largest outside of India and attracts upwards of 200,000 spectators.
