Is a breakroom required to have sink, fridge and microwave?
reHi, I work in a food manufacturing I started working in this new company recently and we are trying to get SQF certified.
I previously worked in a much larger food manufacturing company which was SQF certified. In the past company, we had just moved to a new building and the breakroom only has a microwave; the fridge and sink were separated by a door and a hallway from the breakroom, we passed the audit with no issue regarding the separation of areas.
In the current company I am working at we have a large breakroom with just tables and chairs, the microwave, fridge and sink are two doors away. Would this still be accessible for SQF?
What would you call the room where the microwave, fridge and sink are located, and what areas do employees need to travel through in order to get to them?
11.3.5.9 Separate break rooms shall be provided away from food contact/handling zones.
Break rooms shall be:
i. ii.
Ventilated and well lit;
Provided with adequate tables and seating to cater for the maximum number of staff at one sitting;
iii. Equipped with a sink serviced with hot and cold potable water for washing utensils;iv. Equipped with refrigeration and heating facilities, enabling staff to store or heat food and to prepare non-alcoholic beverages if required; and v. Kept clean and free from waste materials and pests.
I think the main point is in the first line of code. As long as your break room(s) are away from your food handling areas then you should be okay. I read this as "don't have your employees washing produce in the hand wash sink".
Make sure the appropriate signage is in the break area that states that employees must wash their hands before returning to work as per 11.3.2.5.
The main point is that the rooms where employee meals are stored, prepared and consumed are separate from the production areas. Even if each of those functions was in a separate room it could still fulfill the segregation-from-production requirement.
reHi, I work in a food manufacturing I started working in this new company recently and we are trying to get SQF certified.
I previously worked in a much larger food manufacturing company which was SQF certified. In the past company, we had just moved to a new building and the breakroom only has a microwave; the fridge and sink were separated by a door and a hallway from the breakroom, we passed the audit with no issue regarding the separation of areas.
In the current company I am working at we have a large breakroom with just tables and chairs, the microwave, fridge and sink are two doors away. Would this still be accessible for SQF?
Does the path to the kitchenette pose a hazard? Is there a way to prevent that hazard? For example if the path is open to a production area where an employee may violate GMP? Are you able to create a barrier to prevent the violation ? I’ve seen room dividers used.