SQF 9.0 11.4.1.2 - Hair Restraints around open product
I have a question concerning SQF 9.0 11.4.1.2 - Hair restraints and beard covers shall be used in areas where product is exposed. We produce Shell Eggs and I was informed that this doesn't apply because the eggs are in shells? But I argue that open product would be the egg with the shell is the product. Currently we do not require hair restraints or beard covers around open containers. What is everyone's take on this?
Maybe it is not a food safety risk, but I still would not want to find hairs in my egg cartons/boxes :dunno: .
You can do your own risk analysis if putting hair in ponytails is enough to mitigate the risk or if you need to wear hairnets.
Hello.
We are an egg packing facility, packing shell eggs.
We wear hair nets, have done for about 5 years, before that we wore caps. It was not a requirement, but it was risk assessed and implemented. There has been talk of going backwards and not wearing them, but i think this would be too hard to justify. Some auditors deem it unnecessary however most seem to agree with it.
I am not saying i disagree with wearing them, however those people who would be bothered about finding a hair in an egg carton - an egg comes out of a chickens bum.
ALSO - at my site, an egg is not touched by a human, it is completely packed by robots / machinery therefore the likelihood of finding hairs in an egg carton is insanely small.
If you are able to perform a risk assessment and show the hair restraints are not needed to the auditor, you will not need to require them. Only you know the history (if any) cutomer complaints about hair, or the food safety risks of not wearing hairnets. It is all up to a risk assessment and the results :)
It seems the risk assessment would show there not to be a food safety risk but as Marloes stated, if a customer would not want to find one in their product, it becomes a quality issue requiring mitigation = hairnets. Once they get used to them you'll be past the complaints form employees. In our plant there is only one area we require them, the rest of the building they are not required, so they're required only in our "Blue Zone" where the product is fully exposed and open.