Business Insurance for Food Industry

Food businesses are essential, as people will always need access to grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, delis, catering services, and more. But as you prepare to serve as many people as possible, make sure you’re protecting your company. Having the right business insurance coverage is among the best ways to do so. You never know when a customer or employee will be injured or become ill as a result of your business, at which point you’ll owe money for damages if you don’t have insurance. Securing the right insurance for your business can put your mind at ease as you continue operations in the food industry.

General Liability Insurance for Food Businesses

All businesses should have general liability insurance, but it’s especially important if you welcome numerous customers to your business property every day. Whether you run a restaurant, fast food eatery, grocery store, candy shop, or any other business that gets lots of visitors, there’s a chance someone will get hurt on your property. General liability will pay for their medical care, along with repairs to their car or other belongings that may get damaged while visiting your business.

Another reason to get general liability is to have coverage in case someone accuses your advertising of being slanderous or misleading. In that case, your business insurance will pay for your legal defense costs. You have the option to get general liability on its own or buy a business owners policy, or BOP, which combines a few coverage options for business owners.

Business Owners Policy (BOP) for Food Businesses

The easiest way to get all the coverage you need for your food business is to get a business owners policy, otherwise known as BOP.

The point of this policy is to bundle a few coverage options that will best protect your company.

If your restaurant, store, or shop is damaged or completely destroyed by a fire or natural disaster, your BOP will give you the money to rebuild or repair as needed. It will also pay to replace damaged assets, such as tables and chairs, stoves, ovens, fryers, walk-in refrigerators, and other equipment you need for your food business.

As you wait for repairs and replacements to be complete, you likely won’t be able to make a profit from your company. This is why your BOP will send you money to help make up for this loss of income. You can talk to your insurance provider to learn what other coverage to add to your BOP, depending on the specific needs of your food business.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Food Businesses

The food sector can be risky to employees. They could slip on a floor that is slick with grease, cut themselves with a knife, or suffer burns in the kitchen. This is why it’s so important to protect them with workers’ compensation. With this type of coverage, their medical bills and lost income will be paid for so they have time to focus on healing at home after being injured at work.

The same benefits will kick in if an employee becomes seriously ill due to the job. If an employee passes away as a result of a work injury or illness, workers’ compensation will pay for the funeral costs and provide death benefits to the family.

Workers’ compensation takes the financial pressure off of victims, their families, and business owners like you. Without it, your company would be expected to pay for an injured or ill employees’ needs, and you might be subject to fines if you’re supposed to carry this insurance by law in your state. You can save yourself money and legal problems by adding it to your business insurance policy.

Commercial Auto Package Policy for Food Businesses

If your company offers food delivery for customers, or if you ever have to send an employee to another location to drop off ingredients, you need commercial auto insurance. This covers employees if they cause a car accident while working for you, whether they’re driving their own vehicle, a company car, or an auto that you rented for your company.

Commercial car insurance will pay for property damage and medical treatment for your employees and any other drivers or passengers involved in the crash. This is important coverage to have, because your employees’ personal auto insurance won’t cover these costs if they were driving for work when the accident occurred.