Good day all,
I had a question sent over to me by our construction company regarding the development of our new cold storage room. For this facility, we are going to be making plant-based beverage 'concentrates' that will be further processed (treated/diluted) by our other plant/clients. That being said, this will not be a 'ready-to-eat' product. product will be packed in 1,000L IBC bag-in-a-box totes. The process for this concentration does not involve a thermal treatment higher than 85 C. The question was:
"Does the cold storage cooler need washdown capabilities for CFIA approval? We are talking about not having a ceiling in the cold storage suite and taking the IMP wall panels right to the roof insulation. Let me know if ceiling panels are actually required".
I basically informed him that the parameters I am wanting to meet are: "similar flooring as the production suite (epoxy coat/cementitious urethane) , coved, angled flooring with drainage points, racking placement sufficient to provide at least 10-12 inches of gap between walls/ceilings, a continuous monitoring system (Temp/humidity), weather tight roofing, no airflow restrictions, the cooling/humidity system itself is accessible to be maintained, repaired, inspected and cleaned, and (a luxury) potential power back-ups in the case of power outages to provide time to move stock prior to temperature increase of product. The CFIA views cold storage as a preventive control more than anything else."
Are there any restrictions regarding the ceiling in a cold storage room for ingredients 'for further preparation' that I am missing? I can't seem to find anything on the gov't website. Also maybe note-worthy, we are going to be aiming for BRC cert. for all of our facilities.
Thank-you for any guidance!