# Insurance for canteens and contract catering in Germany

> In a canteen in Germany hundreds of people eat the same meal every lunchtime. If something goes wrong with chilling or cooking, it is not one guest who falls ill but many at once. On top of that, the kitchen equipment often belongs to the client. Whether you run a staff restaurant, supply schools or offer contract catering for care homes, this page shows what should be insured and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-canteen-and-contract-catering.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Who pays if forty staff fall ill after lunch?

If the food was the cause, your business is liable for medical costs, lost earnings and damages for pain and suffering. Public liability with product liability for food pays this. Choose a limit that can handle many claimants at the same time, and recall costs if you also deliver packed food.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Anyone preparing or serving food needs an instruction certificate under § 43 of the Infection Protection Act (IfSG) before the first day; employers repeat the instruction every two years
- **Biggest risk:** Food poisoning affecting many people at once
- **Basic cover from:** about €400 a year of public liability for a small canteen, a guide figure from our own quoting work
- **Accident insurance:** Employees are covered by statutory accident insurance under § 2 SGB VII, through the relevant Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer)
- **Often forgotten:** Damage to a leased kitchen and the client's equipment, which standard liability often excludes

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Many ill at once:** Salmonella in a dessert or a broken cold chain: in contract catering dozens of people can fall ill quickly.
- **Cooling failure:** A compressor dies over the weekend, and on Monday the whole cold room goes in the bin.
- **Fat fire:** Fryer, tilting pan and extraction hood: a fat fire can shut the kitchen for weeks.
- **Someone else's kitchen:** Many canteens are leased. Combi steamers and dishwashing lines often belong to the client, but you pay if your team damages them.
- **Allergens:** An allergen not declared on the menu sends a guest into severe shock.
- **Accidents in the team:** Wet floors, hot liquids and sharp knives make kitchens accident prone workplaces.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 4, Theft 2, Cyber 2, Downtime 4, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): For food poisoning, allergen cases and guest accidents, with product liability and damage to the leased kitchen. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): Covers combi steamers, cold rooms and dishwashing lines against operating errors and short circuits, with spoiled chilled goods if agreed. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces your own fittings, stock and crockery after fire, water, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Pays wages and lost income if the kitchen is out of action after fire or machinery breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Car insurance** (Depends on the business): For delivery vehicles if you supply schools, nurseries or other sites. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): Legal expenses for disputes with clients over leases, with authorities after inspections and with staff. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Extra accident cover for your kitchen team, including leisure time. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

Liability grows with the number of meals a day. Kitchen equipment and business interruption add to it.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Staff canteen with up to 300 meals a day, leased kitchen | about €400 to €1,200 a year |
| Business liability | Contract caterer supplying schools and nurseries, up to 1,500 meals a day | about €1,500 to €4,000 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Commercial kitchen equipment worth €150,000, with spoiled chilled goods | about €700 to €1,800 a year |
| Business contents | Own fittings and stock of €80,000 | about €300 to €800 a year |
| Business interruption | Twelve months' loss of income, €900,000 turnover | about €600 to €1,500 a year |

For comparison: Liability and kitchen equipment together cost a mid sized canteen about as much a year as two days of lunches for all its guests.

_All figures are guide figures from our own quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. What matters most is meals per day, deliveries to other sites and who owns the kitchen._

- [Infection Protection Act, § 43: instruction and certificate](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ifsg/__43.html)
- [Social Code Book VII, § 2: statutory accident insurance](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__2.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Leased canteen** (Staff canteen in a leased kitchen with the client's equipment): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption. Together: about €1,300 to €3,500 a year
- **Own central kitchen** (Contract caterer with own kitchen and deliveries): Business liability, Machinery breakdown, Business contents, Business interruption, Car insurance. Together: about €4,000 to €10,000 a year
- **Several sites** (Caterer with several canteens, school meals and own team): Business liability, Machinery breakdown, Business contents, Business interruption, Car insurance, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance. Together: priced individually, usually from about €10,000 a year

## The worst day in the canteen

Six things that really happen in canteens and central kitchens, all on one Monday here. Tap through and see who pays.

- 06:15: The cold room failed over the weekend; meat and dairy have spoiled. (€7,500, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 09:40: During cleaning the client's combi steamer is damaged and its control unit destroyed. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:00: The van with lunch for a primary school scrapes a parked car while manoeuvring. (€2,500, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 12:30: A guest goes into anaphylactic shock over undeclared nuts and is taken to hospital. (€15,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:20: A fat fire at the fryer spreads to the hood; the kitchen stays closed for three weeks. (€28,000, Paid by: Business interruption)
- 19:00: Thirty of the client's staff report stomach problems after lunch. (€40,000, Paid by: Business liability)

**Damage so far:** €102,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have damage to the leased kitchen and the client's equipment named in your liability policy.
- Choose a limit that can cover food poisoning with many claimants at once.
- Agree cover for spoiled chilled goods after machinery breakdown or power cuts.
- Check the lease to see who must insure which equipment, and match your policies to it.
- Keep Infection Protection Act instructions up to date and documented, temporary staff included.
- If you supply schools or nurseries, include transport and serving on site in your liability cover.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We compare for you:** Norman Nammert works as an independent insurance broker. We approach several insurers and lay out liability, kitchen equipment and business interruption side by side.
- **We read the lease with you:** Who insures which kitchen and which equipment is often set out in the lease. We match your cover so nothing is insured twice or not at all.
- **Family run since 1989:** We have arranged insurance since 1989. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### What insurance does a canteen need?

Public liability with product liability for food and cover for damage to leased premises. Add machinery, contents and business interruption, depending on who owns the kitchen.

### How much is liability for a staff canteen?

From our quoting work, a canteen serving up to 300 meals a day pays about €400 to €1,200 a year; supplying many sites costs considerably more.

### What do kitchen staff need before starting?

A certificate of instruction under § 43 IfSG that is no more than three months old. After that the employer repeats the instruction every two years and documents it.

### Who insures the kitchen if I only lease it?

The lease decides. Often the owner insures building and equipment, but you are liable for damage your team causes, which needs cover for damage to leased property.

### Is food spoiled in a power cut covered?

Only if spoiled chilled goods are agreed, usually in machinery or contents insurance. Without that clause you pay yourself.

### Is my kitchen team covered for accidents at work?

Yes, employees have statutory accident insurance under § 2 SGB VII. Group accident insurance can add leisure cover and higher benefits.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-canteen-and-contract-catering.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.