Help with my boss about milk storage at work - Page 2

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by 2xy

I've picked up doubles on the weekend where I've worked for 12-13 hours straight and didn't sit down at all but to take a pee break or two, and ate my food a bite at a time in between serving duties, standing in a corner of the kitchen. That's the life of waitstaff.

I did work at a Friendly's once where the manager made us take a meal break, but since everyone had to do it you made the same in the end.

[funkymamajoy]

Originally Posted by anj_rn

I would check with the food safety rules. I know some places do not allow restaurants to store anything in their coolers not meant for food prep for the restaurant (including peoples food/drinks from home). Then I could see it as legitimate. Otherwise, I would print out the statement from the CDC that says it is not bodily fluid and give it to my boss. There are laws here in TX stating employers have to allow women to pump, but nothing requiring them to help store it.

I'm in CA and can't use our walk-in for any personal food. I don't work in a restaurant though (wholesale bakery) so I don't know if its different. I leave my bm in the insulted portion on my PIS.

[rhiandmoi]

Originally Posted by listipton

This. However, if your new restaurant is a Darden concept, they actually do have a 'no outside food in the restaurant' policy to prevent cross-contamination from other restaurants or homes. In there eyes, you never know what's going on in someone else's kitchen, and their internal health inspectors are very strict.

This is what I was going to say. If outside items are found in a walk in, people can and will get fired.

[PGTlatte]

I used the Ameda cooler and kept it under my desk. They can be bought separately from the pump. I also bought an extra set of ice packs and kept just the ice packs in the freezer at work. Halfway through my day I would switch to the fresh ice packs so there was no problem with keeping milk cold for 10+ hours if I encountered traffic on the way home. I wonder if you could just keep the ice packs in the freezer at work and keep the cooler wherever you keep your other things.

[RiverSky]

Honestly, I don't think it's right to keep your breastpump carrier in the restaurant walk-in cooler (or a back pack or a lunch cooler, because none of them are very sanitary on the outside and it's not like they get machine washed every day, or even can be sanitized or sterilized). I'm sure the health department would not be happy with that, if they were to come in and do a random inspection.

I do think you should bring an ice pack or two (or three, depending on how long your shift is) and keep it in a cooler. My Medela breast pump bag had a smaller cooler section and I would use that. I wouldn't worry about room temperature for a bit, but I'd rather use a cooler and ice pack and save the room temperature leeway for later on.

[sapphire_chan]

All the discussion about storing the breastmilk in the restaurant cooler is irrelevant. Veronica is allowed to use a restaurant cooler. What she isn't being allowed to do is put her breastmilk in the same cooler as the restaurant's food.

Veronica, maybe you could get your boss to let you use a bottom shelf and just move the food a certain distance from the milk? I know it's stupid, but that might be a compromise that makes your boss feel better about you. And that'd keep strong smelling things away from your milk.