6 replies to this topic

[Tony Z]

Hello Everyone - Food Packaging Printer here - we do not allow food anywhere in manufacturing, have statement letters from our raw materials suppliers regarding their non-use of allergens in their processes. We have GMP handwashing requirements for washing everytime someone leaves the manufacturing area. We have done an allergen assessment of the facilty and none are present except in the vending machines in the lunchroom. My question is - do we need to remove all food and candy sold in the machine and eaten in the lunchroom or is the GMP handwashing sufficient control of the risk of allergens from the lunchroom area.

As always, any advice is very much appreciated

[cazyncymru]

Hello Everyone - Food Packaging Printer here - we do not allow food anywhere in manufacturing, have statement letters from our raw materials suppliers regarding their non-use of allergens in their processes. We have GMP handwashing requirements for washing everytime someone leaves the manufacturing area. We have done an allergen assessment of the facilty and none are present except in the vending machines in the lunchroom. My question is - do we need to remove all food and candy sold in the machine and eaten in the lunchroom or is the GMP handwashing sufficient control of the risk of allergens from the lunchroom area.

As always, any advice is very much appreciated

OHH Imagine banning chocolate on site because of milk!! You'd have a strike on your hands!

I think you have to be pragmatic here.

The workers are not in their work wear (removal of protective clothing?) If not, have they eaten an allergen before coming to work, whilst in their work clothes? i think the risk would be the same.
They wash their hands thoroughly before going back in to the work area.

So does this mean you ban sandwiches because they contain gluten? or soups because there is celery in the base? or vinegar on your chips (fries) because of SO2? Or Tuna salad? Egg Salad? Mayonnaise? See where i'm at.
Your risk assessment has identified the allergens and how you manage them.

I would say risk is minimal and don't ban the chocolate (has got me through many an afternoon of HACCP!)Just ban the chocolate with nuts in!

Cazx

[Tony Z]

OHH Imagine banning chocolate on site because of milk!! You'd have a strike on your hands!

I think you have to be pragmatic here.

The workers are not in their work wear (removal of protective clothing?) If not, have they eaten an allergen before coming to work, whilst in their work clothes? i think the risk would be the same.
They wash their hands thoroughly before going back in to the work area.

So does this mean you ban sandwiches because they contain gluten? or soups because there is celery in the base? or vinegar on your chips (fries) because of SO2? Or Tuna salad? Egg Salad? Mayonnaise? See where i'm at.
Your risk assessment has identified the allergens and how you manage them.

I would say risk is minimal and don't ban the chocolate (has got me through many an afternoon of HACCP!)Just ban the chocolate with nuts in!

Cazx

Thanks Much - I appreciate the input and rest easy, you'll always be able to get chocolate here!

[Shyguy77]

We have basicalIy the same policies and procedures here at my factory and i have to agree with cazyncymru. You have your policies and procedures in place, so Allergens from the vending machine should not create a hazard.

A few years ago we actually did ban peanuts from our vending machines in the plant but as the list of allergens, gultens and sensatizing agents continue to grow we quickly realized that our vending machines would soon be empty and employee moral would most likely plummet. Since then we have allowed allergen containing products back in our vending machine and have relayed on our policies and procedure to manage the risk associated with this.







P.S. Don’t forget to vote for my photo “jpredmore” in the IFSQN t-shirt contest.

[WBSimon]

GMP hand washing = Good

GMP hand washing + Allergen awareness training = Even better

[gonzo]

Agree with WBSimon
We do strong emphasis / training for handwashing + annual Allergen awareness training for whole plant.

MGB

[john123]

Just wanted to say +1 to all of the above. Sounds like your system is sufficient to reduce the likelihood of contamination. Keep uniforms out of break areas, make sure employees wash their hands, etc. Combining that with training/education, in my opinion, makes it bulletproof. If your employee can tell an auditor, "They don't let us eat out here because they're afraid we could contaminate the product with peanuts," or something similar, that's a gold star / A+ for the day!

It all comes to practicality. Take away all the candy with peanuts, sure. Then you're stuck defending why you allowed the Almond Joys to stay, or why any cupcake style product is in the machine (daily allergy, right?). But why stop there? Gotta start checking employee lunch boxes to make sure they don't bring anything in, right? No, all that is a little too overbearing for my taste. It's practical to keep things away from production and have procedures that prevent any sort of contamination. It's not practical to take away an employees pb&j.