Commitment To Professionalism, Quality & Safety

Disney is committed to providing our Guests with safe food of the highest quality. As part of our food safety & health program, our food suppliers are inspected on a routine basis, food products are tested in our microbiology laboratory throughout the year, and we endeavor to adhere to good food safety and health practices during the preparation process on a daily basis.
 
In order to facilitate your compliance with our food safety & health standards, we have highlighted key items that visiting chefs will be expected to follow:
 

Walt Disney World® Food Safety & Health Procedures

  • Visiting participants handling food and beverages must wash hands at designated hand wash stations before handling foods or wearing gloves. Hands must be washed often and as needed.
  • Visiting participants must comply with our no bare-hand contact policy for ready-to-eat foods (single-service disposable gloves, utensils, or deli tissue paper will be provided for their use).
  • Participants with illnesses and/or infections transmissible through food are prohibited from working with food, beverages, or utensils.
  • Proper attire must be worn for demonstrations, dinners, and in the kitchen during the prepping of food items. These include a hat, non-slip closed toe shoes, a clean chef coat with a clean apron, and black full-length chef pants.
In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment and continue to comply with State-mandated regulatory food safety standards, all participants working in locations that prepare food or beverages are required to –
  • keep fingernails trimmed, filed, and maintained (not extending beyond the tip of the finger) so the edges and surfaces are cleanable and not rough.
  • not wear fingernail polish and/or artificial nails when working with exposed food (e.g., raw, cooked, processed edible substances, ice, beverages or ingredients intended for human consumption). not wear jewelry, including watches and medical information jewelry, on arms or hands. The exception being a plain (commitment) ring, such as a wedding band without stones, raised designs, engraving or jagged edges. Acceptable options for medical jewelry include necklaces and ankle bracelets. 
  • Food prepared on stage in the demonstration kitchens at in-door and out-door demonstrations should not be served to Guests. Only approved food product prepared in the Odyssey or Epcot® Park Event Operations kitchens following all Walt Disney World® Food Safety & Health procedures may be served to Guests.

Food Safety & Health Laws and Certification

  • Florida State law requires all managers as well as food employees including visiting culinary participants and assistants to undergo State approved food safety training. Proof of training is required to be provided to State inspectors, if requested. 
  • Visiting culinary participants must provide a copy of a current Food Management Certification as recognized and accredited through the Conference for Food Protection or equivalent.
  • Visiting culinary participants will be expected to comply with all State and Federal laws related to food safety and sanitation. The State of Florida has adopted the 2001 edition of the FDA Food Code.
  • Visiting culinary participants must comply with any additional regulatory requirements (fire codes, safety, OSHA, etc.).

Food Procurement and Approval

  • Foods used by visiting culinary participants shall be procured through the Walt Disney World® Purchasing Department. This will ensure that all suppliers and products to go through an approval process. 
  • Due to product availability, visiting culinary participants must select their menu products from the approved list of Walt Disney World® products and suppliers.  
  • Culinary participants must submit a food order list for review to the culinary program manager by June 1, 2010. This food order list should include all food items that the culinary participant will need to prepare his/her dish in the appropriate quantities.
  • Any products that cannot be procured by Walt Disney World® will need to be substituted with another similar ingredient.
  • Because of the high volume of requests for the Festival, any requests made after September 1, 2010 cannot be guaranteed to be available.
  • Disney has limited access to certain foods based on two main factors:
Country of Origin Sourcing:
  • Green onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs and leafy greens – must be domestic
  • Melons (cantaloupe and honeydew) – only from approved suppliers in Honduras, Guatemala, and domestic
  • Strawberries – must be domestic
  • Raspberries and blackberries – not from Guatemala
             
Foods Requiring “Lot” Testing Prior to Approval and Use:
  • Unpasteurized cheeses
  • Frog Legs

Prohibited Food Guidelines

Due to the increased risk of food borne illness, the use of the following foods is prohibited: 
  • Raw beef, such as steak tartare and carpaccio
  • Raw fish, that is not sushi grade (e.g. ceviche)
  • Oysters served raw
  • Unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juices
  • Unpasteurized milk
  • Unpasteurized cheeses (that are not pre-approved)
  • Escolar (contains a strong purgative oil, called gempylotoxin, which may cause diarrhea when consumed)
  • Pufferfish or fugu (pufferfish can contain levels of tetrodotoxin that may result in death)
  • Alligator*
  • Raw sprouts that are not cooked prior to consumption
  • Taro leaf (all parts of the taro plant contain acrid principles due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals which are irritating to the mouth and esophagus)
  • Ti leaves
  • Banana leaves served uncooked
  • Stinging nettles (skin that comes in contact with fresh nettles will result in a temporary and painful skin rash)
  • Peanut oil
  • MSG
  • Foie Gras, Monkfish and Chilean Sea bass (unless certified by the Marine Stewardship Council), are also ingredients that we do not use at the Epcot®International Food & Wine Festival, and we are asking that your recipes do not include these items.
  • We encourage our chefs to purchase sustainably harvested seafood when possible, and to encourage them to visit the Seafood Watch web site for a list of the "Best Choices" fish selection. 

Food Preparation

  • Food preparation must be conducted at the Epcot®Park Event Operations kitchen or other Walt Disney World® Resort facility. Any exceptions must be pre-approved by our Food Safety & Health Department.
  • Prohibited In-house Food Preparation:
  • Grinding of beef is strictly prohibited. For grinding any other animal protein you must contact our Food Safety & Health Department.
  • Cold smoked fish (salmon) – commercially processed is acceptable
  • Raw eggs used in ready-to-eat foods (e.g. Caesar salad dressing)
  • Crème fraîche (commercially processed is acceptable)
  • Freshly squeezing of fruit and/or vegetable juices (only exception would be lemon/lime juice used according to the established guidelines of our Food Safety & Health Department)
  • Cheese making
  • Smoking of sausage
  • Canning foods
  • Steeping tea
  • Making hamburger patties
  • Adding of sulfiting agents to fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Sous Vide locations are not permitted to vacuum-pack raw foods for cooking
 
*If you would like to include a food product or procedure that is listed above please contact Marianne Hunnel at 407-560-6780 (marianne.c.hunnel@disney.com) for approval from Disney Food Safety & Health Department.

Walt Disney World® Environmental Commitment

Walt Disney World® Resort has had a longstanding commitment to the environment. To help drive this commitment we encourage all culinary participants to do their best to use locally grown produce and food as a way to reduce fossil fuel and greenhouse emissions, minimize packing materials and disposable dishware, turn off kitchen equipment when not in use to reduce electricity, and recycle. We also encourage participants to establish a food waste composting collection program.

Safety Procedures

  • Be aware and pro-active: Be pro-active to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses‌. Stay aware of surroundings and always apply safe work practices. Recognize potential hazards and take precautions to ensure the safety of you and others.
  • Report all injuries: Immediately report all injuries and/or safety-related incidents to the Walt Disney World ®  chef team, including minor cuts and abrasions.
  • Know and follow the rules: Ask, understand, and follow the safety rules of the kitchen and event areas as well as the particular task being performed.
Equipment
  • Propane use and deep fryers: The use of propane fueled burners and equipment is PROHIBITED for any indoor applications. Small butane canister-fueled burners and tools are an acceptable alternative to propane. Please consulta Walt Disney World® chef to receive approval from the Walt Disney World® Food Safety & Health Department and Reedy Creek Emergency Services before using propane.
  • Gas cylinders: Compressed gas cylinders must be stored upright, secured with a chain, stored in a proper location, and capped when not in use.
  • Trams: Portable carts and trams must be pushed not pulled. The only exception to pulling a cart from the front is only if the person’s vision is blocked.
  • Box cutters: When opening packaging, no open-blade or unapproved box cutters are allowed in work area. Approved types of cutters include styles where the blade is recessed, spring-retractable, and/or blade guarded. The use of kitchen knives to open boxes is prohibited.
Work space and tools
Emergency and fire safety:   
  • Know the location of EMERGENCY EXITS and keep them clear at all times of obstructions and tripping hazards with at least 3’ of clearance.
  • Know the location of fire extinguishers and first aid kits in your working space. 
  • Sprinkler Clearance: All sprinkler heads require 18” of clearance around them. No articles are allowed to be stored in this area.
  • Cleanliness: Keep work space clean. Keep counters and floors dry and free of grease and food build-up.
  • Storage: Maintain walking paths, including coolers free of obstructions and tripping hazards. Allow for at least 28” of clearance.
  • Chemical safety: No chemicals from outside Walt Disney World® shall be utilized. When using chemicals, ensure they are used in a manner that precludes the contamination of food. Work with Walt Disney World® chef team to make sure chemicals are properly labeled, stored in designated area after use, and that the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) book is available.
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