Food and Drink Storage Policy

This is a WIP page to be discussed / modified and voted at QGM

Despite being located in East Van in an old building, our space miraculously does not have a rodent problem. We would like to keep it that way.

• If you bring it in, bring it out. (until we get a dumpster)
• Do not leave any open food at the Hackspace overnight. Stored food should be sealed in lockable airtight containers
• Do not leave food garbage (wrappers, bags, used napkins, compost) inside the building overnight
• All food garbage needs to go outside in the dumpster when we get one
• Watch for food spillage. Mice and rats will go after anything, even crumbs. If you spill it, clean it up.
• Rats and mice will eat ANYTHING. If they can't find human food, they will eat much more expensive things like drywall, or wire covering or WIP projects.

Rats, mice and other pests like flies can smell the delicious sugars wafting off of your empty cans and bottles. Especially in the hot summer months, we do not want gross swarms of flies in our space. When you are done with your drink cans, please either take them home with you, or give them a quick rinse in the sink before depositing them in the recycling. This is actually required to prevent recycling contamination, so just do it.

We have a refrigerator upstairs in the kitchenette for snacks and drinks. It is not intended for long-term storage.

• Items should labeled with your name and date when they are placed in the fridge, and will be tossed upon discretion.
• If your food is not easily identifiable, or contains a common allergen, maybe label that as well. I.E. “peanut sauce” or “shrimp stew”
• If you are worried about someone throwing out your food, take it home with you.

Refrigerators by themselves are not smell-proof or rat-proof. If you are storing food or drink in it, the food needs to be in sealed containers like glass or plastic tupperware, or a bottle with a screw lid. Cardboard pizza boxes and loose saran wrap are not good food storage, and also your food will go bad and taste fridgey.

• No dangerous chemical storage near food. If it needs to be kept cold, and it's also poison, find somewhere else to put it.
• If you find something spoiled nasty, take it out to the dumpster, and then thoroughly wash the container if it's re-usable. Contact the person whose name was on the spoiled food.

See Kitchen Champion, Compendium of Champions