Few things bring a Montana congregation together like a potluck, and few church risk conversations get skipped as often. Food-related liability is genuinely low-frequency, but when a foodborne illness incident does happen at a church event, it can affect dozens of people at once, which makes it worth a modest amount of attention even though it rarely comes up.

Homemade food from a potluck generally falls under general liability coverage the same way any other church activity would, but the exposure changes if the church starts selling food — a bake sale, a fundraiser dinner, a coffee cart — rather than simply serving it. Selling food can trigger different regulatory requirements depending on Montana’s cottage food laws and local health department rules, and it’s worth knowing which category a given event falls into before it happens, not after a health inspector asks.

Basic food safety habits go a long way toward preventing the rare incident that does occur: keeping hot food hot and cold food cold, using a food thermometer for anything homemade that involves meat or dairy, and having a simple sign-in sheet for large potlucks so that if an issue does arise, there’s a record of who attended and roughly what was served. None of this needs to feel like a restaurant health inspection — it just needs to be consistent.

If your church regularly hosts larger fundraising meals or has a kitchen that’s used frequently by outside groups, it’s worth a specific conversation with your agent about whether your general liability policy has any food-related exclusions or sublimits, and whether a commercial kitchen used by multiple groups needs any additional attention on the property side as well.

Action Items

• Confirm whether upcoming events count as “serving” vs. “selling” food under Montana cottage food and local health rules.
• Add a sign-in sheet to large potlucks and fundraising meals.

This post is for general informational purposes only and isn’t legal or insurance advice — every policy and local regulation is different, so please talk with a licensed insurance professional (and check with your local health department) before hosting food-related events.