Food Business Insurance in California
Cover your food business in California today with top-quality liability insurance.
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California Food Businesses We Cover
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California Food Business Insurance
California food vendors cater to customers year-round thanks to a mild climate and no shortage of outdoor fairs, markets, and amusement parks. Millions of visitors flock to the Golden State each year, with many enjoying signature state foods and drinks like taquitos, cioppinos, and martinis.
Since California is an agricultural hub for fruits, nuts, and other produce, the state is known for bustling farmers markets, food stands, and more than its fair share of the top food festivals.
If you run a food business in California, business liability insurance can protect you from the cost of claims. Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP) makes it easy to get the insurance you need to shield yourself from common claims, such as third-party bodily injury and property damage.
Whether you need cottage food insurance for your home-based baking business or a liquor liability policy for your alcohol catering service, FLIP has what you need.
Need more coverage for your business? No problem. We offer several optional coverages you can add to your policy during checkout:
- Tools and Equipment Insurance (aka Inland Marine) helps cover the cost of repairing or replacing your business equipment if it gets stolen or damaged.
- In the event of a data breach or other cyber attack, Cyber Liability Insurance can cover the cost of restoring stolen data or paying legal fees if a customer sues you over their compromised information.
- If you use a trailer as part of your food business operations, you can protect your business from claims that occur in or around it with FLIP’s Trailer Endorsement as long as it’s parked and detached from your towing vehicle.
California Food Insurance Coverages
- General Liability
- Products and Completed Operations
- Personal and Advertising Injury
- Damage to Premises Rented
- Tools and Equipment (Inland Marine)
California Business Insurance Requirements
California doesn’t require businesses to purchase general liability insurance. However, that doesn’t mean your risk of getting hit with a claim is low. Accidents still happen, such as:
- A customer slipping on some spilled food on the ground outside your farmers market booth and injuring themselves
- A food truck festival-goer contracting a foodborne illness from the undercooked hamburger you served them and ending up in the hospital for several days with expensive medical bills and lost wages
- Your catering equipment getting stolen out of the back of your van while you were unloading at an event
Plus, it’s important for you to know that California doesn’t have a cap on liability suit rewards, so if you get hit with a lawsuit there’s no limit to what you might have to pay.
However, if you have business insurance in California, you’ll be safeguarded against paying these sky-high claims completely out of pocket. It may not be required of you, but holding a general liability policy is an important investment for your business.
Most fairs and festivals require you to provide proof of insurance and add them as an additional insured to your policy. The same goes if you need to rent a commercial kitchen or set up a cart or food truck at a venue. With a FLIP policy, you can add additional insureds for free at any time right in your dashboard.
Food Product Liability Insurance in California
Product liability insurance is critical for any business that makes or manufactures food. Whether you make processed snacks or sell tacos from your food truck, there is always a risk that your food product could make a customer sick or injured.
For example, if you put guacamole on your tacos and a customer with an avocado allergy eats one and has an allergic reaction, you could be held responsible to pay for their medical bills and lost wages.
Every base FLIP policy includes product liability insurance so that if an accident like this happens, you don’t have to shoulder an expensive claim alone.
Food Truck Insurance in California
As of 2023, California was home to 883 food truck businesses across the state, with that number expected to increase over the coming years. It’s no surprise that food trucks continue to be popular—they allow food vendors to sell from a variety of locations and save on the overhead costs of renting or owning a brick-and-mortar space.
Planning to park your truck at one of the top food festivals in California this year? Most events like this require you to add them to your policy as an additional insured. If you need food truck insurance in California, FLIP offers comprehensive coverage and makes it easy to add event organizers to your policy during checkout or anytime afterward via the user dashboard.
Coast to Coast Coverage
Regardless of where you bought your FLIP policy, it will follow you to almost any state.* As long as you follow the licensing and certification requirements of the state you do business in, your policy will remain in effect.
*FLIP is currently unavailable in Missouri
