Free CPD-Accredited Certificate Course Equips Food Truck Operators, Festival Vendors, and Event Food Handlers with the Safety Knowledge That Protects the Public at Outdoor Events
Alison has launched a new CPD-accredited certificate course: Food Safety Management for Temporary and Special Events. This free beginner-level online course prepares food vendors, festival organisers, food truck operators, farmers market sellers, and fundraiser coordinators to keep food safe in conditions that look nothing like a commercial kitchen — covering permits, temperature management without commercial refrigeration, handwashing without running water, cross-contamination control, and the ten critical methods for safe temporary foodservice operations. No cost, no barrier — just the practical, field-tested knowledge that protects the public at every stall, truck, and tent.
The course is built around the specific conditions of temporary food operations: permit types that apply to single events, multi-event vendors, and mobile food units; how to adapt temperature control and handwashing when permanent infrastructure is absent; how to manage the flow of food safely through a booth or truck; and special regulatory considerations that apply to cottage food producers, fundraisers, farmers markets, and food banks. It closes with ten critical, field-tested safety methods and guides learners through building a practical food safety plan for event day — all grounded in a real outbreak case study that illustrates exactly how quickly things can go wrong.
When the Kitchen is a Tent and the Rules Don't Change
In Louisiana, dozens of people were sickened at a community fundraiser from a single batch of jambalaya. The setting was a marquee, the cooks were volunteers, and the temperature controls that would be non-negotiable in any licensed kitchen simply weren't in place. Nobody intended for anyone to get hurt. But intention is not a food safety control.
Foodborne illness is one of the most persistent public health challenges in the world. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 48 million Americans — roughly one in six — suffer a foodborne illness every year, resulting in 128,000 hospitalisations and 3,000 deaths. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that unsafe food causes 600 million cases of foodborne disease and 420,000 deaths annually. A significant and consistently underreported proportion of those cases is linked to temporary and outdoor food operations: festivals, fairs, farmers markets, street food events, charity fundraisers, and community gatherings where food is prepared and served at scale, often by people with no formal food safety training and in conditions that would fail inspection in a permanent establishment.
The outdoor food economy is enormous and growing. Food trucks are now a multi-billion dollar industry. Farmers markets have seen sustained growth across North America, Europe, and beyond. Festival and event catering is a major commercial sector. Yet the regulatory requirements that govern these operations — specific permit categories, temperature rules adapted for limited infrastructure, cross-contamination controls for non-commercial environments — are almost never part of any general food handling training. The result is a vast workforce of vendors and volunteers operating in good faith, but without the specific knowledge that their setting demands.
Practical Safety for Every Stall and Every Truck
Mike Feerick, Founder and CEO of Alison, stated: "The food truck operator serving lunch to a thousand people at a festival is carrying exactly the same public health responsibility as a restaurant kitchen — but without the infrastructure, and almost always without the training that's specific to their conditions. This course exists to close that gap for every vendor, everywhere, at no cost."
This launch adds to Alison's growing food safety portfolio, reinforcing its mission to make essential public health knowledge freely accessible to operators and communities everywhere.
To learn more or enrol in the course, visit: alison.com/course/food-safety-management-for-temporary-and-special-events
Ends
Media contact
For further information, contact the media team at [email protected].
About Alison
Alison is a global leader in free online learning and skills development. With over 50 million registered learners across 193 countries (as of October 2025), Alison empowers individuals, communities, and organisations to upskill quickly and effectively – at zero cost.
The Alison platform provides immediate access to over 6,000 free, CPD-accredited courses, covering essential areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Business Operations, Healthcare and Sustainability. Courses are created by a mix of independent experts and global leaders, including IBM, Stanford and Microsoft.
For organisations, Alison offers a Free Learning Management System (LMS) that enables unlimited learners to access thousands of courses with no upfront cost. A premium version with advanced analytics and customisation is also available. Alison's offering includes a full suite of assessments and psychometric tools, including a Workplace Personality Assessment, Mental Health & Wellbeing Assessment, English Language Proficiency Test, as well as Numerical, Verbal, and Abstract Reasoning tests.
To further support career development, learners also gain access to a Career Guide, a Resumé Builder, and the ability to study offline through the Alison App. The platform is also expanding its reach with multilingual versions, starting with complete Spanish, French, and Hindi offerings — reaffirming its mission to make education accessible to anyone, anywhere.
Founded in 2007, Alison pioneered the concept of free, large-scale online learning and is recognised as the world’s first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform. Today, its mission continues: to break down barriers to learning, helping people gain skills, build confidence, and improve their lives — no matter where they live or what they earn.
