EarthFair Food Vendors
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Giving EarthFair Attendees an alternative
to standard Balboa Park concessions
One of the goals at EarthFair is to give the 60,000 attendees good, healthy alternatives to the usual hot dogs and hamburgers you find at public facilities. To this end, we provide exhibit space for food vendors. If you are interested in providing food service at EarthFair, this section is intended to give you the information you need to decide whether this opportunity is right for you.
Exhibiting in this area is also of interest to organizations who are promoting specific food or beverage products and want to sample them to the public.
What can we sell at EarthFair?
The only restrictions are:
- All food items served be vegetarian
- All food service items must be compostable or recyclable. (see below)
Many vendors serve full meals; others serve beverages (smoothies, tea, health drinks, etc.) or snacks (e.g. popcorn).
How much will we sell?
You sales will depend on many factors, including the weather. However, in 2007 individual food vendors reported total sales between $680 (baked desserts - they ran out!) and $4,400 (pizza, lasagna, enchiladas, couscous, beverages).
Where Does EarthFair Food Service Take Place?
EarthFair takes place in Balboa Park; all of our food service takes place in the space we designate as Area 9 - Presidents Field. (click here to see a sample park map). The food booths are arranged in a large horeshoe shape, with an entertainment stage at the open end of the horseshoe.
What does it cost to exhibit?
Food vendors pay the standard EarthFair exhibitor fees. These fees depend on the size and type of your organization (e.g., for-profit, non-profit), the size of your exhibit space, and what kind of exhibit materials you need (e.g., if you are preparing food you will need a screened-in food booth; see below). Click here for exhibit descriptions and prices.
Non-profit organizations are free to keep all the proceeds from their sales. For-profit organizations are required to remit 10% of their gross margin to EarthWorks (gross margin = total sales - exhibitor fees paid to EarthWorks); for-profit food vendors will want to take account of this fee in their pricing.
Don't Forget the Health Department!
All groups distributing food items at EarthFair must have a health permit issued by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health (DEH). In addition, you must follow all the DEH gudelines - DEH inspectors will be at EarthFair and will close down any vendor not complying.
Click here to download the Temporary Food Facility Permit and Food Vendor Guidelines.
Specifically, if you are preparing food you will need to have a screened-in food booth with flooring. You can provide your own, or we can provide one for you.
We do provide a 3-comparement sink and hot water for use by food vendors.
What about cooking?
If you plan to cook food - whether with gas, electricity, or charcoal - you must follow the Fire Marshall's safety rules. The Fire Marshall will be inspecting each food vendor in the morning, and will close down any vendor not complying with their safety standards. Typical problems include not having the correct fire extinguisher, and having frayed or worn flexible gas lines.
Is electricity available?
Electricity is available for a $75 charge (we rent a generator for this; there is no house power provided by the park). We can provide 110 volt service only. If you have special or extreme needs, please contact us directly.
Food service item requirements
Food service generates a lot of waste. Instead of dumping this in the landfill as waste, the City of San Diego Department of Environmental Services takes our food waste and turns it into compost.
To support this recycling effort, all food service items must be either COMPOSTABLE or RECYCLEABLE. This means:
- No styrofoam at all.
- Utensils (forks, spoons) should be wood or bamboo.
The City has determined that most of the corn starch utensils that we previously advised you to use - items that were advertized to be compostable - in fact do not compost.
- Plates, bowls and other food containers should be paper. UNCOATED paper is preferred.
Paper plates with a plastic coating make recycling more difficult.
- Paper cups and straws are best. Plastic cups can be used if they are #1 or #2 plastic.
- No plastic condiment packs (e.g., ketchup, soy sauce).
Provide condiments from bulk dispensers at your booth, or in compostable containers.
- No plastic straws, stirrers, lids, etc.
San Diego EarthWorks is handling all EarthFair Applications via our on-line registration system. Exhibitors can fill-out their Exhibitor Application on our website, review and change their application at any time, and can download their event logistics information before the fair.
To use the system, you do need to have an email account that you use regularly. If you don't have or use email, please call the office at 858-272-7370.
- April 2, 2012: Last day to register and pay without a $35 late fee.
- April 17, 2012: Last day to register as an exhibitor
Supporting Materials
We recommend that you review the following document. If you have exhibited before, you will find this familiar. If you have not exhibited before, please look it over carefully; you will need this information to complete the application.
Using the Registration System
The first step in using the system is to register as an Associate. You will provide your basic contact information (name, address, email, etc.) and give yourself a login name and password. After registering, click the button that says "EarthFair 2012 Exhibitor" to begin your registration.
Once you have registered, you can use your login name and password to login to your own account, review and change your application, and download your logistics information before the fair.
If you have exhibited before, we have already created your account. If you have not already received your login information by email, please call the office at 858-272-7370, or send email to ef12exh@earthdayweb.org. Alternatively, you may be able to retrieve your account information by entering your email address in the login page; it will be emailed to you.
This new registration system is secure; your account can only be accessed with your login name and password. And, as always, we will never provide your personal information to any other organization without your permission for any reason, ever, period.
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