No Food or Drinks Signs: Frequently Asked Questions

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Sanitation standard that governs eating and drinking areas, 29 CFR 1910.141 (g)(2), "No employee shall be allowed to consume food or beverages in any area exposed to a toxic material."

Also, OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard [29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(ix)] restricts the consumption of food or drink in areas where work involving blood or other potentially infectious material takes place or where the potential for contamination of work surfaces exists.

As such, there is no federal law that prohibits an employee from eating or drinking at the desk in an office setting. But OSHA does require employers to forbid consuming eatables near any potentially hazardous conditions. Yet, one should always check with respective state health codes and ordinances regarding the usage and legality of a No Food or Drink Sign usage and legality.

The main reason eating and drinking are not permitted in labs is that hazardous materials are present in labs and personal safety is at risk. Due to cross-contamination and ingestion, people can get sick. Contamination can result from contact with contaminated gloves/hands, airborne materials settling out or condensing on surfaces or utensils, or placing consumable items on a contaminated surface. Even chewing gums and applying cosmetics is not allowed in labs because these practices enable chemical absorption.

Food and beverage cans should not be stored in the same refrigerator used to store vaccines. Frequent opening of the refrigerator door to retrieve food items can adversely affect the unit’s internal temperature and potentially damage vaccines. Storing even a few sealed cans in the same refrigerator as vaccines is a bad idea and should be avoided. Even the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends not storing food or beverages along with refrigerated vaccines. 

This is subject to the food or drink policy adopted by each stadium. Most stadiums don’t allow food and drinks for cleanliness reasons. Viewers cannot bring anything too large or made from a hard material that can be easily thrown or used as a weapon.Following conditions are applied in most cases where outside food or drinks are allowed:

• - Food or beverages are accepted if they are wrapped, bagged, or inside a container to avoid messes from spills
• - Containers must meet the stadium’s bag policy in terms of size and material
• - Bottles and cans should contain non-alcoholic drinks and the quantity should not exceed the limit specified (usually 1 liter is acceptable)
• - Coolers must be soft-sided
• - Cans or bottles can be opened and checked for security purposes
• - No cannabis products are allowed
• - Fruit must already be sliced or sectioned
• - Food for infants and people with dietary restrictions is considered

From “Sweet-free zones” to “No second helpings”, “No food sharing” to “No PBJs”, various programs and food policies are implemented in schools across the nation for the following reasons - 

• - To fight childhood obesity that high sugar, high-fat foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages can cause
• - To reduce chances of food allergies (like peanut allergy) and making the school environment safe for every kid
• - To inculcate healthy food habits among students
• - To improve student attention, behavior, and academic engagement (healthy food habits will deliver these results)
• - To reduce trash and clean up costs that schools have to bear caused by messy treats