Close

Processing equipment in the food industry

Hygiene demands a permanent and special attention in the food industry because consumers expect high-quality food products, which are produced safely. This means, amongst other things, that all machinery surfaces that come into direct or indirect contact with foods must be safeguarded from all kinds of contaminants and microbial infections. For this reason specific (EU) legislation and regulations governing the hygienic design of process equipment in the food industry must be observed, including:

  • Machinery directive 2006/42/EG
  • EHEDG directives (European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group)
  • Regulation (EC) 1935/2004: On materials and objects that come into contact with food
  • EN 1672-2:2005 + A1:2009: Food processing machinery / Basic General Rules / Part 2: Hygienic requirements
  • EN ISO 14159:2008: Machinery safety - Hygienic requirements for the design of machinery (ISO 14159:2002)

Thus all ‘Food Contact Surfaces’ (direct & indirect product contact surfaces) made of stainless steel must be frequently and thoroughly cleaned. Disinfection is essential in this to guarantee the microbiological safety of the food products. The efficiency of this cleaning process, however, does not only depend on the process itself but also on the characteristics of the surface being treated, in particular in terms of the roughness, topography and the surface energy and therefore its suitability for getting rid of dirt, i.e. its cleanability.

Subscribe to our newsletter