The short answer
Most caterers are best served by a chiller van (not a freezer) that is big enough for your busiest event, has shelving that stops boxes sliding about, is easy to wash out and has electric standby, so your cold food is held at temperature before you load. Everything else comes down to what you serve and how many stops you make.
Here’s how to decide, in the order that matters.
1. Know the temperature rules
Caterers usually deal with two sets of food:
- Chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below. That’s the legal limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Food Standards Agency recommends 5°C or below, and that’s what we’d aim for.
- Hot food that is being held should be kept at 63°C or above. The Food Standards Agency says this in its hot-holding guidance, and local councils repeat it. There are limited exceptions, with conditions.
A fridge van keeps food cold. It does not keep hot food hot. If you carry both, councils generally advise separate insulated boxes for hot and cold, and a probe thermometer to check what really happens on a round.
Your local Environmental Health Officer (EHO) has the final say on your business, so check with them if you’re unsure.
A good fridge van holds a steady temperature with the doors opening and closing at every stop. That depends on the fridge unit, the insulation and the size of the unit for the van. We’ll tell you what each van is rated for.
2. Choose the right size
| Size | Typical vans | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Citan, Kangoo, Transit Connect | Sandwich rounds, small buffets, easy to park in town |
| Medium | Transit Custom, Trafic, Vito | The popular choice: room for a full event load and still easy to drive |
| Large | Sprinter, Master, Crafter | Big events, contract catering and wholesale supply |
Think about your busiest day, not an average one: a wedding weekend, a festival, a big corporate order. A van that’s too small costs you jobs. One that’s too big costs you fuel and tax, and is harder to park at venues.
Check the payload. Fridge equipment adds weight, so a fridge van carries less than the same van as a plain panel van. Ask any seller for the van’s actual weighed payload, not the manufacturer’s figure for the empty base van. We’ll tell you the payload of any van we sell.
3. Multi-drop days
Lots of stops means the doors open lots of times. Think about:
- Loading in delivery order, so the first drop is nearest the door
- Shelving or racking, so crates are held in place and you don’t dig through the stack. Ask us about these: they’re not on every van.
- Keeping raw items apart from ready-to-eat food. Raw food should be covered and kept separate, and stored below ready-to-eat food where possible.
4. Keep allergens and raw food apart
The Food Standards Agency says allergen cross-contamination can happen “during transport from your business to the customer’s home”, and that food for a customer with an allergy should be kept “separate, labelled and covered well”. Its guidance for food businesses is to keep allergen ingredients separate, store food “in closed and labelled containers”, and clean equipment between uses. A “may contain” warning is only for a risk you can’t control by separating and cleaning. It isn’t a substitute for doing those.
In a van that means:
- Covered, sealed containers, so nothing can spill or drip onto other food
- Allergen-free and allergen foods in their own labelled boxes, not loose
- Raw and ready-to-eat food kept apart, with raw below ready-to-eat if they share a space
- An inside you can wash down properly (see the next point)
5. A clean, hard-wearing inside
Food vans get washed out a lot. Look for:
- Smooth, wipe-clean walls and floor (our conversions use GRP lining) with no gaps for dirt to hide
- A floor that copes with cleaning chemicals and trolley wheels
- Fittings to suit you. Ask us about rails, shelving and loading aids.
6. Electric standby
A fridge unit normally runs off the van’s engine. Electric standby lets you plug the van in at the yard or overnight to hold the temperature without the engine running. For caterers it’s worth asking about: you can pre-chill before loading, and keep food cold if you’re parked up at a venue with power. Ask us about standby on any van you’re looking at.
7. New or used?
- Used is the better value for most caterers, and usually quicker. All our used vans come with a warranty: 12 or 24 months, depending on the fridge unit.
- New gets you exactly the size, fridge unit and extras you want, built to your spec.
- Finance is available, and we take part-exchanges.
8. A short checklist before you buy
- Chiller or freezer? (Most caterers need a chiller.)
- What size for your busiest event?
- What’s the real payload?
- Is there shelving, and can you keep raw, ready-to-eat and allergen foods apart?
- Is the inside easy to wash out?
- Is there electric standby?
- Is there a warranty on the van and the fridge unit?
- Who services it, and how quickly can you get help if it fails?
See our caterers’ vans
Not sure which suits you? Call us on 01444 245555 and tell us what you carry and where you deliver. We’ll tell you straight which van fits, and if we haven’t got the right one, we’ll find it.
