The IUPUI Campus Center
Group & Event Services
Food Service Policies
What type of campus events are considered as being Internal Events?
An Internal Event is one in which all attendees are members of the same group which has a direct affiliation with the University and the event is held on University property. This includes:
- Intradepartmental functions such as holiday pitch-ins or treat tables.
- Instances where a department may offer complimentary food, including treat tables or meals, for faculty, staff, students (including prospective students), or graduates.
- Food offered at University-recognized student organization meetings.
- Donated or provided food for campus service projects.
Direct affiliation to the University includes, but is not limited to: students, faculty, staff and family or invitees thereof.
Events intended to be open to the public without reference as to whether the attendee has direct affiliation with the university or events advertised as being open to the public in any media are not considered as Internal Events.
Internal Events expecting a turnout of 200 or more individuals should be referred to the IUPUI Department of Environmental Health and Safety for consideration as an event requiring licensure as a Temporary Food Establishment. Contact EHS at 274-2005 or at http://www.ehs.iupui.edu/ehs/comments.asp for additional guidance.
Can you further clarify what a Fundraiser is?
For the purpose of the IUPUI Food Service Policy, a Fundraiser is any event with the expressed intent of raising monies or other donations for a specific cause which involves the offering of food to participants.
The IUPUI Food Service Policy does not govern the selection of fundraising causes. It is the responsibility of the sponsoring University-recognized student group or other University unit involved in the fundraising activity to determine whether the selected cause is appropriate and to oversee the handling and dispersal of the proceeds derived from the fundraiser.
Why is there a limit of 15 fundraiser dates per calendar year?
Fifteen fundraiser dates per year is specified in a state statute which is enforced by the Indiana State Department of Health and the Marion County Health Department. Multiple fundraiser events may be scheduled on the same fundraiser date.
How do I apply for a date outside the established fundraiser date?
Campus and Community Life designates 14 fundraiser dates for the calendar year, leaving an additional date available on a first come first serve basis. To petition for the open date, you may contact Campus and Community Life at cclife@iupui.edu.
If my event is going to be held on an approved fundraiser day, do I need to submit a special event application?
Yes. An application must be submitted for all special events. The application may be found at: http://www.adfi.iupui.edu/specialevent.
After submitting the special event application and receiving approval from the Special Events Advisory Committee, what else is required to hold my special event?
In addition to compliance with the Food Service Policy, a suitable location for the event must be scheduled with the appropriate Building Coordinator for where the event is held.
When is licensure as a Temporary Food Establishment required from the Marion County Health Department (MCHD)?
All events that involve the sale of food, which are not fundraisers or internal events, are required to obtain a Temporary Food Establishment license from the MCHD. The application for the temporary license must be submitted to the MCHD thirty days prior to the scheduled event. Additional guidance may be found at the following link: http://www.mchd.com/fdevents.htm.
How does "time in lieu of temperature control" work?
Restaurants and other fixed-locations offering food for sale are required to have mechanical devices on-site to keep hot food items hot and cold food items cold while the food is being held prior to being served to customers.
The Indiana State Department of Health and the Marion County Health Department recently recognized a concept known as "time in lieu of temperature control" for special circumstances such as the Fundraiser events on campus.
Under this concept, foods likely to spoil and cause foodborne illnesses which are intended for immediate consumption, including pizza, may be held for a period of up to four (4) hours outside of mechanical temperature control provided that all three of the following criteria are met:
- The package containing the food item is marked with the time that it is removed from temperature control (e.g. the time that pizza is removed from a pizza oven) and;
- Food items are discarded without fail once a four (4) hour period has elapsed from the time the food is removed from mechanical temperature control and;
- Event organizers are able to demonstrate that a procedure is in place to monitor this 4-hour time period.
What is a Certified Food Handler and when is the presence of one required?
The State of Indiana recently adopted a regulation that requires public food service operations such as restaurants to have their operations overseen by at least one Certified Food Handler. A Certified Food Handler is a person who has had specialized training in the safe handling of food and the prevention of foodborne illness and has passed a certification examination.
Any event held on campus in which it is determined that licensure is required by the Marion County Health Department also requires the event to be overseen by a Certified Food Handler. Events held on campus determined to be an Internal Event or a Fundraiser have no such requirement.
Catering
Catering services are available through Chartwells. For students, a "No Frills" Catering Guide is available. Please visit Chartwells online for more information on dining options and services.
Campus Food Facts
Exclusivity
Chartwells is the exclusive food service provider which includes all retail, catering and concession sales on the IUPUI campus. Food service exclusivity covering buildings or specific geographic areas is the norm in almost every food industry operation involving a contract or formal agreement. The current contract with Chartwells took effect on July 1, 2007 and ends June 30, 2017. Chartwells has invested an amount in excess of $4 Million since July, 2002 for the construction of food service facilities on the IUPUI campus. Additionally, Indiana University has a system-wide contract with Coca Cola and only Coke products can be sold or advertised on any IU campus.
Exceptions to Exclusivity
Sponsorships of events (sporting or otherwise) by an "outside" restaurant, caterer or grocery store that donates (100%) food or beverage for the event. Coke exceptions have an annual limit and almost always involve major ("presenting") sponsorship levels.
Inability to Cater
Chartwells recognizes that on occasion it might not be possible to provide the type or level of service requested due to prior commitments and, therefore, the customer might have to look elsewhere for service. This circumstance should be rare and if an outside caterer must be engaged, approval by the Chartwells Resident Manager is necessary. It is always advisable to contact food service as soon as the need is known.
Ethnic Food
Chartwells is a division of the largest food service organization in the world – Compass. Compass has operations in almost every country so Chartwells has access to a wide variety of menus and recipes along with other resources necessary to provide this type of service. Chartwells should always be given the opportunity to provide a proposal on any catering of this type – and contacted as soon as the need is identified - with exceptions approved by the Chartwells Resident Manager.
Fundraisers (Food)
Food fundraisers have been a source of revenue for students groups in the past and will continue to be in the future. The sale of food to raise funds – and the surrounding Board of Health regulations – has been formalized in the IUPUI Food Policy. This Policy can be found on several websites: Campus & Community Life, Environmental Health & Safety and Chartwells. This Food Policy was developed specifically to address food fundraisers and the safe handling of food. Briefly, the Policy requires adherence to safe food practices; limits fundraising to pre-set dates throughout each semester (dates are set by CCL and listed on the CCL website); and allows the fundraising organization to avoid the collection of sales tax. As long as this official Food Policy is followed, it is not a requirement that food be purchased (to be resold for fundraising purposes) from Chartwells.
Budget Issues
Chartwells will always work with their customers regarding budgets and strive to provide the best possible menu (quantity and product) to match the budget allocated. If the specific menu requested cannot be served for the budget allowed, this is not automatic approval to engage an outside caterer that will offer a cheaper price. These issues must be assessed on an individual basis by the Chartwells Resident Manager, the Auxiliary Services Contract Administrator and the customer for appropriate resolution.
Sales Tax
Rarely are catered events (defined as one food/beverage order for a group of people with all charges on one bill and paid by one method) tax exempt. State law allows exemption only when tax exempt groups purchase food/beverage at a lower price and sell it for a higher price for fundraising purposes.
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