Pre-prepared food refers to pre-packaged dishes made from one or more edible agricultural products and their derivatives, with or without added seasonings or food additives. These dishes are processed through preparation steps such as seasoning, pre-treatment, cooking or non-cooking, and packaging, making them convenient for consumers or food producers to cook or eat directly.
Different types of pre-prepared food have specific product zoning and requirements.
Refrigerated Ready-to-Eat Dishes
1.Packaging Room Design: Should follow the Design Standard for Cleanrooms in Pharmaceutical Industry (GB 50457), with a cleanliness level not lower than Grade D, or the Technical Code for Cleanrooms in Food Industry (GB 50687), with a cleanliness level not lower than Grade III. Enterprises are encouraged to achieve higher cleanliness levels in clean operation areas.
2.General Operation Areas: Raw material acceptance area, outer packaging area, storage area.
3.Quasi-clean Operation Areas: Raw material pre-treatment area, product seasoning area, ingredient preparation area, semi-finished product storage area, hot processing area (including cooked hot processing).
4.Clean Operation Areas: Cooling area for ready-to-eat dishes, inner packaging room.
Special Attention
1.Raw Material Pre-treatment: Processing areas for livestock/poultry, fruits/vegetables, and aquatic products should be separated. Ready-to-eat raw material pre-treatment areas must be independently set up, separated from non-ready-to-eat raw materials, and clearly marked to avoid cross-contamination.
2.Independent Rooms: Hot processing, cooling, and packaging of refrigerated ready-to-eat dishes, as well as processing of refrigerated ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables (washing, cutting, disinfecting, rinsing), should be carried out in independent rooms, with proportional area allocation.
3.Sanitized Tools and Containers: Tools, containers, or equipment that come into direct contact with food should be stored in dedicated hygienic facilities or areas.
4.Packaging Room: Should follow GB 50457 or GB 50687 standards, with cleanliness levels not lower than Grade D or Grade III, respectively. Higher levels are encouraged.
Environmental Temperature Requirements
➤If packaging room temperature is below 5℃: no time limit for operations.
➤At 5℃–15℃: dishes must be returned to cold storage within ≤90 minutes.
➤At 15℃–21℃: dishes must be returned within ≤45 minutes.
➤Above 21℃: dishes must be returned within ≤45 minutes, and surface temperature must not exceed 15℃.
Refrigerated Ready-to-Eat Fruits and Vegetables
-General Operation Areas: Raw material acceptance, sorting, outer packaging, storage.
-Quasi-clean Operation Areas: Washing, vegetable cutting, fruit disinfection, fruit rinsing.
-Clean Operation Areas: Fruit cutting, vegetable disinfection, vegetable rinsing, inner packaging.
Environmental Temperature Requirements
Quasi-clean areas: ≤10℃
Clean areas: ≤5℃
Finished product cold storage: ≤5℃
Other Non-ready-to-eat Refrigerated Pre-prepared Dishes
-General Operation Areas: Raw material acceptance, outer packaging, storage.
-Quasi-clean Operation Areas: Raw material pre-treatment, product seasoning, ingredient preparation, hot processing, inner packaging.
Supporting Facility Requirements
1.Storage Facilities
Refrigerated pre-prepared dishes must be stored and transported in cold storage rooms at 0℃–10℃.
Refrigerated ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables must be stored at ≤5℃.
Cold storage must have refrigeration systems or insulation, enclosed loading docks, and anti-collision sealing facilities at vehicle interfaces.
Cold storage doors must have devices to limit heat exchange, anti-lock mechanisms, and warning signs.
Cold storage must be equipped with temperature and humidity monitoring, recording, alarm, and control devices.
Sensors or recorders should be placed at positions best reflecting food or average temperature.
For cold storage areas larger than 100m², at least two sensors or recorders are required.
2.Handwashing Facilities
Must be non-manual (automatic) and equipped with hot and cold water.
3.Cleaning and Disinfection Facilities
Independent sinks must be provided for livestock/poultry, fruits/vegetables, and aquatic raw materials.
Sinks for cleaning/disinfecting tools and containers that contact ready-to-eat food must be separate from those used for non-ready-to-eat food.
Automatic cleaning/disinfection equipment must include temperature monitoring and automatic disinfectant dosing devices, with regular calibration and maintenance.
4.Ventilation and Disinfection Facilities
Ventilation, exhaust, and air filtration facilities must be provided as required by production processes.
Packaging rooms for refrigerated ready-to-eat dishes and quasi-clean/clean areas for refrigerated fruits and vegetables must be equipped with ventilation and air filtration.
Ozone or other environmental disinfection facilities should be provided according to product and process characteristics.
How Clean Room Technology Supports Prefabricated Food Clean Room Workshop
Many prefabricated food manufacturers are incorporating modular clean room systems to strengthen microbial control and meet rising safety standards.
A practical example is the SCT clean room project successfully built in Latvia, demonstrating high-standard modular construction suited for controlled environments.
Similarly, SCT delivered a USA pharmaceutical clean-room container project, showcasing its ability to design, manufacture, test, and ship turnkey clean-room systems worldwide.
These projects illustrate how modular cleanrooms can be applied not only in pharmaceutical settings but also in ready-to-eat food packaging areas, cold-processing zones, and high-risk workshops, where hygiene levels must be strictly maintained.
Conclusion
A compliant and high-performing prefabricated food clean room workshop requires scientific zoning, strict temperature control, and reliable clean room facilities. By following these standards, manufacturers can effectively reduce contamination risks, ensure stable product quality, and enhance consumer safety.
If you would like assistance designing or upgrading a prefabricated food clean room workshop, feel free to reach out — we can help you plan professional, compliant, and cost-effective solutions.
Post time: Nov-28-2025