Hey everyone -
We just finished our initial certification audit for SQF Food Safety 8.0 today. Score received was a 99%, just one minor. Sounds awesome, but it's one doozy of a minor -
Basically, we suffer from pretty extreme old building and too-small-for-operation building syndrome. Our warehouse receiving and shipping is all done through a giant overhead ground-level dock door - approximately 20 feet across, 15 feet tall opening. Our owner looked into converting it to a dock a few months back, but that would end up costing $150,000. (Easily 1/3 the value of the building and out of reach for our operation).
So, understandably, we were dinged on 11.2.7.3
11.2.7.3 External doors, including overhead dock doors in food handling areas used for product, pedestrian or truck access shall be insect-proofed by at least one or a combination of the following methods: i. A self-closing device; ii. An effective air curtain; iii. An insect-proof screen; iv. An insect-proof annex; v. Adequate sealing around trucks in docking areas
It's too tall for an air curtain (We're pretty sure, unless someone knows otherwise), an insect-proof screen doesn't help because we need to receive in and out of it multiple times a day.
Our auditor had suggested maybe curtain strips would get by as a correction on the outside of the overhead door (potentially viable but doesn't seem like a good long term solution with snow and wind) and we are calling some local overhead door contractors in to get ideas from them - but I figured I would toss it out and see if anyone else has had to solve an issue similar to this. Or just maybe...have some ideas?
It's a bit of a bummer because it's feeling like a big hurdle to overcome. We knew it would be an issue as it doesn't meet code, so we had addressed sanitizing the truck wheels in and out, covering anything nearby it in case of rain/snow, covering pallets in and out during inclement weather, have curtain strips at all other entrances to the warehouse from the plant - but hadn't considered the insects.
I'm hopeful we'll be considered for an extension on this one, but we need a plan before we can even see if that'll happen. Thoughts?