Glass and Brittle Plastics

A glass and brittle plastics program keeps shatter-prone items, such as light bulbs, gauge covers and windows, from breaking into food, and sets a fixed response for when breakage happens.

  • Food safety
  • Physical hazards & pests

This program covers materials that can shatter into sharp pieces: glass, plus hard, brittle plastics used for items like light covers and gauge faces. Federal CGMP rules require shatter-resistant light bulbs, fixtures, skylights or other glass hung over exposed food, or other protection in case glass breaks. A typical program lists every glass and brittle plastic item in production, packing and warehouse areas, records its location and any shielding, rates its risk, and audits the list on a schedule. It also sets a written breakage procedure so staff know exactly what to stop, clean, hold and record.

Glass fragments cause the same harm as other sharp objects. FDA's Health Hazard Evaluation Board has supported action for pieces about 7 to 25 mm long, and injuries can include tooth damage, cuts to the mouth and throat, and intestinal perforation. Glass scatters and is hard to recover, and FDA guidance notes that checks and cleaning will not necessarily keep every fragment out. That is why prevention, quick isolation of exposed product and documented cleanup matter so much.

Key facts

CGMP requirement
Shatter-resistant glass over exposed food, 21 CFR 117.20(b)(5)
Fragment size FDA acts on
About 7 to 25 mm
FDA example check frequency
Before start-up, at least every 4 hours, end of day
Injuries FDA describes
Tooth damage, mouth and throat cuts, intestinal perforation

In a bakery or commercial kitchen

  • Keep a registry of every glass and brittle plastic item, with its location, condition, shielding and risk rating
  • Use shatter-resistant or shielded lights and fixtures over exposed dough, batter and finished goods
  • Audit registered items on a set schedule and repair or replace anything cracked right away
  • When breakage occurs, stop work, hold exposed product, clean up with dedicated tools and log the event
  • Keep watches out of production areas and require shatterproof eyeglasses or eye covers

For home and cottage bakers

  • Discard uncovered food near any glass breakage, since small shards are hard to find and pick out
  • Use shatter-resistant bulbs or covered fixtures over a cottage-food work area
  • Choose unbreakable bowls and storage containers for open ingredients when you can

Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 17, 2026.

  1. 21 CFR 117.20 Plant and grounds, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (Code of Federal Regulations)
  2. Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 21: Glass Inclusion, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  3. Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food: Draft Guidance for Industry, Chapter 4 (Preventive Controls), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  4. CPG Sec. 555.425 Foods, Adulteration Involving Hard or Sharp Foreign Objects, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  5. Keeping Glass and Brittle Plastic Out of Products, Food Safety Magazine