Choose from the nation's best insurance providers
Top food businesses we insure
Recommended food and beverage business insurance policies
Business insurance can help keep your doors open despite an injury, kitchen fire, or lawsuit. ISwift Insurance helps food and beverage businesses find the policies that match your unique risks.
General Liability Insurance
Covers bodily injuries, customer property damage, and advertising injuries. Often required for commercial leases.
Best for:
Slip-and-fall accidents
Customer property damage
Libel lawsuits
Professional Liability Insurance
Also called E&O insurance, this covers legal costs for professional errors or missed deadlines.
Best for:
Negligence lawsuits
Project disputes
Work mistakes
Workers' Compensation Insurance
Covers medical expenses for employee injuries and is required in most states.
Best for:
Employee medical costs
Disability benefits
Injury-related lawsuits
Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)
Combines general liability and commercial property insurance for small businesses in one affordable package.
Best for:
Customer injuries
Damaged property
Business interruptions
Cyber Insurance
Helps businesses recover from cyberattacks and data breaches by covering recovery costs and customer notifications.
Best for:
Data breach lawsuits
Customer notifications
Fraud monitoring
Commercial Auto Insurance
Covers vehicle-related accidents and damages. Required for business-owned vehicles in most states.
Best for:
Auto accident lawsuits
Vehicle damage or theft
Vandalism
How much does food and beverage business insurance cost?
When calculating insurance costs and premiums, insurance companies look at several factors, including:
- The types of food and beverages served
- Business equipment and property
- Annual business revenue
- Where your business operates
- The number of employees you have on staff
- Your policy limits and deductible
How do I get food and beverage business insurance?
It’s easy to find insurance for food and beverage businesses. Whether you run a bakery, deli, candy store, or food truck, you’ll need to have some basic information about your business available.
Our application will ask you for your annual revenue and payroll, among other details. You can buy a policy online and get a certificate of insurance that verifies your insurance coverage with Swift Insurance in three easy steps:
- Complete a free online application.
- Compare free quotes and choose a policy.
- Pay for your policy and download a certificate for proof of insurance.
Swift’s licensed insurance agents work with top-rated U.S. providers to find the right insurance plan for your food business, whether you’re a one-person cake maker or catering company with multiple employees.
Common questions about beverage and food business insurance
If I have to temporarily close my business am I covered by insurance?
Business interruption insurance, sometimes called business income insurance, can cover costs if your business is forced to close temporarily due to a catastrophic event, such as a fire. This policy can help cover your day-to-day operating expenses and lost revenue, and even relocation if it’s necessary.
Additionally, extra expense coverage, can provide additional funds to help your business while recovering from a major disruption. Extra expense insurance would help pay for costs such as:
- Moving your business to a temporary location until your main building is restored
- Buying or leasing additional equipment for the temporary site
- Paying employees overtime or hiring short-term works during the transition
Do businesses that serve or sell food need product liability insurance?
Simply put, yes. If you sell, make, or distribute products, you likely need product liability insurance. Any business in the supply chain, from manufacturers to wholesalers to restaurants, could be blamed if a product causes harm, and there are few limitations on who can file a product liability lawsuit.
This policy protects against claims related to:
- Allergic reactions
- Food contamination
- Marketing defects, such as labeling errors or lack of warnings
If a customer gets sick after eating or drinking at your restaurant, food cart, or coffee shop, this policy can help pay for attorney’s fees, court-ordered judgments, and other costs.
Does general liability cover food poisoning?
General liability insurance can protect food and beverage businesses from several liability risks, including a customer slipping and falling on a wet floor in your establishment or getting food poisoning from consuming undercooked or spoiled food.
While a general liability policy will protect your company from food poisoning claims, it won’t cover spoiled perishable goods. If your business handles perishable goods that must maintain a specific temperature, food contamination and spoilage insurance will help cover losses if your refrigeration equipment unexpectedly breaks or is interrupted by a power outage.
This type of coverage can be added to your commercial property coverage or business owner’s policy. To find out if this endorsement is right for your business, speak with a licensed Swift insurance agent.
What other insurance policies should food service businesses carry?
There are several additional types of insurance policies beverage and food businesses should consider including in their risk management plan, whether you run a single business location or multi-location franchise:
Employee dishonesty coverage, a type of fidelity bond, which protects your clients from various financial losses caused by dishonest employees, such as stolen property, credit card fraud, and forgery.
Equipment breakdown coverage protects your company’s computers, electrical systems, production machinery and other equipment from sudden and accidental malfunctions that commercial property insurance typically excludes.
Electronic data processing (EDP) insurance covers you electronic data processing equipment, such as data storage devices, backup systems, and software, against data loss during a power surge, natural disasters, or similar incidents.
Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) safeguards your business from lawsuits over employment-related issues, such as an employee claiming their civil rights were violated or they were unable to complete their work in a fair environment.
Hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) insurance provides auto liability coverage for accidents involving personal, leased, or rented vehicles used by your business and its employees.