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Can I Use CE Marked Camping Stoves for Catering Without Flame Failure Devices?

by Nicholas Priest
(Plymouth)

Navy single-axle catering trailer serving bacon rolls from its gas griddle at a busy Plymouth harbourside market

Navy single-axle catering trailer serving bacon rolls from its gas griddle at a busy Plymouth harbourside market

Hi there,

I have brought a camping stove burner range and griddle that are both CE certified however apparently I cannot use these for commercial purposes due to not have a FFD (flame failure device) fitted to the appliances?!

I spent around £300 on the pair so if true I am gutted! I’ve looked at equipment fitted with FFD and they are through the roof prices!!!

Any advice would be great!

Thankyou

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Oct 30, 2026
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by: MobCater

Nicholas, I'm sorry to be the one to confirm it, but what you've been told is right. Camping stoves and leisure griddles carry a CE mark for domestic and outdoor leisure use, not for commercial catering, and that mark on its own doesn't make them suitable for trading.

The flame failure device, sometimes called a flame supervision device, is a small probe that sits in the flame. If the flame goes out, from a gust of wind, a pan boiling over or the bottle running low, it shuts off the gas to that burner. Without one, the burner keeps pouring unburnt propane into your unit or gazebo until somebody notices. The UKLPG Code of Practice 24, which Gas Safe engineers work to on mobile catering units, expects a flame supervision device on every burner. An engineer simply won't issue a gas safety certificate for kit without them. No certificate usually means no insurance, and most events and councils will turn you away at the gate.

I take this one personally. Early on I saw a customer get a flash burn when a flame failure device didn't do its job. It's a moment you never forget, and it's why I'd never trade on equipment that can't cut its own gas off.

The good news is that proper commercial kit doesn't have to cost a fortune. A single burner commercial griddle or a two burner boiling ring with flame failure on every burner can be bought new for a few hundred pounds, and good second-hand Parry, Lincat and Buffalo units come up all the time. If you buy used, ask the seller to show you the flame failure working. Light the burner, blow it out, and make sure the gas cuts off. Then have your engineer check it before your first trading day. Please don't try to fit flame failure parts to the camping gear yourself. That's gas work, and leisure appliances with add-on parts won't be signed off anyway.

As for the £300, I'd sell the camping range and griddle as leisure kit, which is what they are good for, and put the money towards one proper commercial appliance. Start with whichever one most of your menu depends on, usually the griddle, and add the second piece once the takings allow. You can compare commercial gas griddles on mobcater.com to get a feel for prices.

All the best

David

Disclaimer: Gas installation and maintenance must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Never attempt gas work yourself. Check gassaferegister.co.uk for qualified engineers in your area.

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