General liability
Customer injury and foodborne illness claims at markets and events.
Business Insurance
Food cart insurance sized for a stall.
Carts, stands and concession trailers do not need a food truck programme. They do need liability cover and a certificate the event organiser will accept.
Food carts, concession stands and small trailers occupy the lightest end of mobile food. There is often no self-propelled vehicle to insure, the equipment is modest, and the business lives or dies on being able to produce a certificate of insurance when a market or festival asks for one.
The certificate is usually the reason you are buying
Farmers markets, festivals, sports venues and shopping centres will not allocate a pitch without proof of general liability, and most require naming as additional insured. A $1 million occurrence limit is the common threshold.
Because the requirement is predictable, it is worth arranging annual cover rather than buying single-event policies repeatedly. Beyond a handful of events a year, the annual route is usually both cheaper and considerably less administrative work.
Towed trailers and the vehicle question
If your cart is towed, the towing vehicle needs commercial auto cover and the trailer needs to be listed. A personal auto policy towing a commercial concession trailer is a claim waiting to be declined.
Carts that are wheeled or transported inside a van are simpler, but the equipment still needs cover of its own — a personal or homeowners policy will not respond to business equipment.
What it covers
The parts of a food cart insurance policy
Event certificates
Additional insured wording for organisers, venues and market operators.
Equipment and stock
The cart, cooking equipment and inventory, on site and in storage.
Trailer and towing
Where the cart is towed, the trailer and towing vehicle both need to be rated commercially.
Products liability
Illness claims arising from food you have served, included within general liability.
Annual or per event
Short-term cover for a single date, or an annual policy once you trade regularly.
Working with us
What we do differently
We are an independent agency, so we place your food cart insurance across several carriers rather than fitting you to one company's product. That means a genuine comparison, and someone to call who is not a call centre.
- Compare annual cover against per-event policies once you pass a few bookings a year
- Rate the towing vehicle commercially if you tow a concession trailer
- Check the limit each venue requires — $1 million is common but not universal
- Insure the cart and equipment; a homeowners policy will not cover business property
Common questions
Food Cart Insurance, answered
What insurance do I need for a farmers market stall?
General liability is the requirement almost every market imposes, usually at $1 million per occurrence with the market named as additional insured. Equipment cover is worth adding for the cart and cooking gear.
Should I buy annual cover or per-event?
Per-event makes sense for one or two bookings a year. Beyond that, annual cover is generally cheaper and removes the administrative work of arranging a new policy and certificate each time.
Is my trailer covered by my car insurance?
A personal auto policy towing a commercial concession trailer is a common cause of declined claims. Both the towing vehicle and the trailer should be rated for commercial use.
Am I covered if someone gets ill from my food?
Products liability within general liability responds to foodborne illness claims. Handler certification and temperature records support the claim and generally help at renewal.
How quickly can I get a certificate for a market?
Usually the same day once cover is bound. Send us the organiser's name and their requirements and we will issue it with the right wording.
Related cover
Often arranged alongside this
Food Truck Insurance
A food truck is a commercial vehicle, a commercial kitchen and a public-facing business at once. Each of those needs its own cover.
Read moreGeneral Liability Insurance
Commercial general liability covers claims brought against your business by other people. It is also the policy almost every client contract and commercial lease requires you to hold.
Read moreBusiness Insurance
A shop, a contractor and a software firm face entirely different risks. We place commercial cover across multiple carriers rather than fitting you to one company's template.
Read moreReady for a food cart insurance quote?
Answer a few questions and one of our agents will come back to you.
Ready for peace of mind?
Let us protect what matters most.