Food Vendor Insurance: Liability, Cost & Quotes From $7

Written by columbus adm

Published on: July 3, 2022 | Last Updated: February 13, 2025

 

Food vendors, just like food trailers, are required to get the appropriate amount of insurance before selling food at parks, festivals, and other locations. 

Insurance safeguards customers and ensures that a food vendor can grant compensation in case food poisoning or accidents happens. 

Food vendor insurance provides comprehensive coverage to startup food vendors and established ones. This consists of vendor liability policies, commercial property insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and more policies.

Liability Insurance For Food Vendors 

There are different kinds of food vendors such as those that sell in farmers markets, those that serve customers through a food truck. But regardless, general liability insurance  grants protection against claims for bodily injuries or property damage. 

Copyright infringement claims are also covered. And depending where you purchase it, general liability insurance for food vendor can cover food poisoning claims. 

 

General Liability Insurance For Farmers Market Vendors

General liability insurance for farmers market vendors has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence and aggregate limit.   Insurance companies automatically include a rented premises liability coverage in the general liability policy of their farmers market insurance. 

As a food vendor, you’ll find this useful if you’re just renting the farmers market stand. This will compensate the losses of the organizers if the stand gets damaged. 

CoverWallet  NEXT (Best) Thimble  Hiscox FLIP
Per occurrence limit  $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000/$2,000,000 $300,000/$2,000,000 $2,000,000
Aggregate limit  $2,000,000 $1,000,000/$2,000,000 $1,000,000/$2,000,000 $600,000/$2,000,000 $2,000,000
Product liability coverage aggregate limit  $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $2,000,000
Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit  $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 Included
Rented premises liability coverage aggregate limit  $300,000 $100,000 $5,000 $100,000 $300,000
Can you get a certificate of insurance online? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Name additional insureds? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Deductible $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

 

General Liability Insurance For Street Food Vendors 

Street food vendors are not required to get general liability insurance, depending on which city or town they’re selling food. For those who need coverage, insurance companies sell a highly tailored general liability insurance for street food vendors. 

The policy limit for general liability insurance policy has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence limit.  

 

General Liability Insurance For Food Truck Vendors 

If you’re a food truck vendor, then you’ll get a general liability policy in food truck insurance programs. The per occurrence limit of the general liability insurance for truck food vendors is $500,000-$2 million. On the other hand, the aggregate is $1 million-$2 million. 

Coverage for your food truck can be included in the general liability policy of food truck and mobile food vendor insurance plans. 

 

Commercial Property Insurance For Food Vendors 

Commercial property insurance is useful if you’re the owner of a food vending franchise that operates through several food trucks, food stands, or food carts. 

You can use commercial property insurance to cover the tangible assets of your food vending franchise. You can use this policy to recover financial losses if the office or any other building that you own, lease, or rent gets damaged or destroyed due to:

  • Fire
  • Theft
  • Vandalism
  • Malicious mischief
  • Sinkhole collapse
  • Volcanic action

commercial property insurance can also help if valuable item sustain damage or get destroyed because of the insured risk

CoverWallet NEXT (Best) Thimble Hiscox
Building coverage limit (minimum) $50,000 $350,000 $25,000/$500,000 $25,000
Contents coverage limit (minimum) $50,000 $24,000 $25,000/$500,000 $25,000
Outdoor signs Excluded $2,500 Excluded $2,500
Accounts receivable  Excluded Excluded $5,000/$10,000 Excluded
Money and securities Excluded $2,500 $1,000 Included
Lock and keys  Excluded $2,500 Excluded Included
Business interruption floater Excluded Included Included Included
Equipment breakdown floater Excluded Included Excluded Included
Inland marine insurance floater Excluded Excluded $10,000 Excluded
Employee dishonesty floater Excluded $5,000 $2,500 Excluded

 

 

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Business Owner’s Policy For Food Vendors

Similar to juice bar insurance programs, food vendor insurance programs might allow you to bundle general liability insurance and commercial property insurance into a business owner’s policy. 

A business owner’s policy is a fusion of general liability insurance and commercial property insurance. 

It is an insurance policy that grants protection against liability lawsuits and business property damage or loss.  

CoverWallet Thimble  NEXT (Best) Hiscox
General liability aggregate limit  $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $500,000/$2,000,000 $300,000/$2,000,000
Commercial property coverage limit  $50,000 $25,000/$500,000 350,000 $25,000
Optional policies can be added? Yes Yes Yes Yes
Name additional insureds for free? Yes Yes Yes Yes
BOP discount? Yes Yes Yes Yes

 

 

Tools And Equipment Insurance For Food Vendors 

Tools and equipment insurance will cover the repair or replacement of ovens, fryers, stoves, mincers, meat grinders, blenders, and other equipment you use for preparing food. 

Coverage applies if damage or loss is caused by theft, vandalism, and other covered risks.

NEXT (Best) Thimble Hiscox FLIP
Aggregate limit $3,000/$10,000 $2,500/$5,000 $5,000/$25,000 $5,000/$10,000
Covers hired and borrowed equipment? $5,000/$10,000 $2,500/$5,000 No No
Miscellaneous equipment also covered? $5,000/$10,000 No No No
Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance? Yes Yes Yes Yes
Deductible $500 $500 $0 $0

 

 

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Workers Compensation Insurance For Food Vendors 

By having workers’ compensation insurance, you can get the appropriate treatment and financial assistance for a work-related injury. 

This insurance will cover hospital bills, medication, lost wages, rehabilitation, and even funeral expenses and allowance to dependents in case of death. 

An employer’s liability coverage can be optionally added to workers’ compensation insurance. This will take care of settlements and legal fees if an employee sues you after sustaining a work-related injury or disease. 

  

One Day Food Vendor Insurance

What works as a one day food vendor insurance is a short-term general liability policy. A short-term general liability policy provides coverage for a few hours, an entire day, or several weeks. 

This has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence  and aggregate limit. Optional policies might be included.  Insurance companies that sell temporary food vendor insurance for one day are Hiscox, Thimble, and The Hartford. 

 

Food Vendor Insurance For Festivals

The organizers of the festival have their own festival insurance that takes care of liabilities, equipment damage or loss as well as event cancellation. 

However, they’ll require you to get the appropriate coverage and name them as additional insureds. Your existing general liability policy can be used as a food vendor insurance for festivals.

 Another option is to get a short-term general liability policy in case you want an additional level of protection. 

 

Compare Cheap Food Vendor Insurance Quotes Online

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Food Vendor Insurance Cost  

The average food vendor insurance cost is $35 per month or $420 per year for a $1 million general liability coverage. 

Factors that affect the cost of premiums are business history, business size, number of employees, annual revenue, and location. 

Cost per Month Cost per Year Deductible
General liability insurance $35 $420 $0-$500
Commercial property insurance $39 $468 $1,000-$2,500
Business owner’s policy $65 $780 $500-$1,000
Liquor liability insurance $45 $540 $500-$1,000
Tools and equipment insurance Cost included in general liability insurance Cost included in general liability insurance $0-$500

 

Best Food Vendor Insurance Companies 

 

NEXT 

Founded in 2015, NEXT has established itself as a one-stop shop for food vendor insurance coverage.  Their food vendor insurance will encompass several coverages, including general liability, commercial auto, workers’ compensation, and commercial property. 

Average cost: $25 per month 

Our rating: 10/10

Pros 

  • Best overall
  • Great customer service and reputation
  • Issues an online proof of insurance instantly
  • Outstanding value for money
  • Bundle two or more insurance policies and get a 10% discount

Cons

  • Couldn’t find any

 

CoverWallet

CoverWallet offer food vendors services with high functionality,  packaged in an easy-to-understand interface.  All you have to provide is basic business information to the company’s platform, and they will send you the quotes of different carriers. 

Average cost: $26 per month 

Our rating: 10/10

Pros 

  • Free instant insurance quotes 24/7
  • Option to talk one on one with a licensed insurance agent in the event of inquiries
  • You can buy and manage policies online
  • Instant proof of insurance that would be emailed to you
  • Get quotes instantly

Cons

  • CoverWallet is just a broker and doesn’t underwrite insurance

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Hiscox 

Hiscox caters for sole proprietors with food and beverage carts, mobile food services, mobile concessions, or mobile street food vendors,with food vendor insurance.

It specializes in general liability for food vendors, which costs as low as $28 per month for a $2 million coverage limit.  You can adjust your coverage amounts and deductibles before obtaining the final quote.  

Average cost: $28 per month 

Our rating: 7/10

Pros 

  • Worldwide coverage with a customer base of over 400,000 businesses
  • Discounts of up to 5% are available when you bundle together two or more policies
  • 14-day money-back refund policy

Cons

  • No food vendor insurance for businesses in Alaska
  • BOP only offered for  businesses with fewer than ten employees

 

Thimble 

Thimble differentiates itself from the rest of the food vendor insurance providers on this list by offering flexible terms. As a food vendor, you will not be locked into a yearly contract.

 This is excellent news for flea market and festival food vendors who need daily or even hourly insurance policies.  For hourly food vendor insurance, you’ll pay $5 per hour, but if you want a monthly cover, you’ll pay $30 per month. 

Average cost: $30 per month 

Our rating: 7/10

Pros

  • You get coverage instantly online in less than 60 seconds
  • Short-term liability insurance for food vendors
  • You get quotes in less than a minute

Cons

  • Not available in all states

 

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