Is a Full Canteen Needed for 650+ Employees, or Is a Dining Space Enough?

Dear All, I work in the pharmaceutical industry. Our employee strength is 650+. Is it necessary to have a 'food-providing' canteen, or is it sufficient to only make 'premises' available for having food?

Regards, Suhas

Please go through the Factories Act so that you will understand what needs to be established. I think a canteen needs to be provided to employees if the employee number is more than 250.

Regards

Canteen Requirements Under the Factories Act

If your establishment is a factory and your state government has implemented regulations under Section 46 of the Factories Act, you are required to provide and maintain a canteen as per the rules. It is not necessary for you to procure the raw materials and hire employees for the canteen; you can operate it through a contractor.

Regards,
Varghese Mathew

Since your company has more than 250 employees, it is mandatory to provide a canteen as per the Factories Act of 1948.

The provision of Section 46 of the Factories Act, 1948 deals with the requirement of a canteen in all factories where 250 workers are ordinarily employed. Hence, it is mandatory to provide a canteen in your company. Apart from this, it should consist of a dining hall with a scale of 12 square feet per worker with proper seating arrangements, a water cooler, a dry store, an area for utensil washing, and a pantry. I have reproduced the provision as stipulated in the Act below.

Canteen Provision Details

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for:

- (a) The date by which such a canteen shall be provided;
- (b) The standards in respect of construction, accommodation, furniture, and other equipment of the canteen;
- (c) The foodstuffs to be served therein and the charges which may be made therefor;
- (d) The constitution of a managing committee for the canteen and representation of the workers in the management of the canteen;
- (dd) The items of expenditure in the running of the canteen which are not to be taken into account in fixing the cost of foodstuffs and which shall be borne by the employer.

I think this information will be helpful for you to better understand the provisions of the Act.

Regards,
R B Yadav
Advocate

Welfare Facilities Under the Factories Act of 1948

As per the Factories Act of 1948, welfare facilities such as restrooms, canteen facilities, toilets, and washing areas should be provided by the management. The canteen can be run by an outside contractor or the management itself. It is better to outsource the canteen facility.

Thank you!

Since it is a pharma company that may involve chemicals, the food items can be cooked nearby outside and served in the dining hall during meal times.

Regards,
M. Venkatraghavan

What is the minimum number of employees required to have a canteen in an office (registered under the Shops and Establishments Act) in the city? And who is responsible for operating the canteen?

Thank you.