Allowed Distance for Storing Food Items from Wall

Does anyone have a published standard showing how far from a wall food storage should be? In processing plants, it is often 18 inches. I am more interested in what is required for restaurants and kitchens. I belive CODEX addresses that food must be 6 inches off the floor - but how far from a wall?

Cathy:

We known that 18 inches is the well-accepted requirement but not all the companies can do so as some may have constraint for spaces. So, in my compay, for area that are not big enough, we allow particular area to have a space that permits a thin person like myself to go through, at least, for inspection and cleaning.

Yong

Dear Cathy,

As per previous post, 18in seems favoured in US. Codex is rather elusive on this, not seen any quotable values yet. Maybe space-saving is one reason most pictures of kitchens seem to show thin operatives, often unlike the chef from my observations.

Examples US

Dunnage racks, pallets, etc. should be spaced sufficiently from walls to allow for vermin monitoring and inspection. A space of 18" is recommended. Wooden shelving and pallets require a higher level of maintenance and are more conducive to vermin infestation.

http://www.cfsan.fda...s/prev-307.html

Containers should be stacked on pallets. Leave aisles between stacked containers and walls for inspection and cleaning. Where practical, stack items 18 inches off the floor and 18 inches away from walls. This is called the "18 inch rule of sanitation."

http://pubs.caes.uga...bcd/b927-w.html

Conventional storage racks used to store food-related items, such as boxes of ingredients used in the manufacture of food products, typically have a steel skeletal structure which defines a number of rows of storage bays disposed on top of each other. For storage racks used to store food-related items, the American Institute of Baking (AIB) promulgates certain requirements to prevent pests such as rodents and insects from contaminating the food items. One of these requirements is that the food items be stored on the rack no closer than eighteen inches from any adjacent wall and/or ceiling. The Food and Drug Administration has similar requirements.

http://www.patentsto...escription.html

Rgds / Charles.C

Again another comment from experience rather than a standard. I can confirm that pest control companies and customer auditors have always quoted 18 inches as the required gap. If this is not possible then as much distance as possible to allow for cleaning and inspection of baits by pest controller etc.

Thanks everyone! I never did see it in Codex or the Food Code but the FDA doc that was posted was helpful.

As far as I know this is not codified in the UK. However, the 18 inches (or 0.5m) 'standard' is the general rule to allow access for inspections and treatment, as well as for cleaning.

I would also suggest that where the 18" is not possible, an 'alley' between every third stack would be useful.

Generally, pest controllers should be taking your practical needs into account. I'd only ask that you take ours into account as well :

Being metric, we've always gone for 50cm (approx) it just needs to be big enough to permit pest inspection and cleaning. I don't believe I've seen it in a standard (apart from internal ones) but if you can't get an average sized person in the gap, it is very unlikely to be cleaned and inspected so I think an auditor can raise a non conformity even if it's not explicitly written.

Hi

In the warehouses we keep 80 cm space between the product (cocoabutter) and the wall. This has to due with pest inspections and fire regulations. But as nobody is measuring the distance...it's enough space to walk around / inspect the product like GMO said.