Food processing equipment, hygiene requirements.

The main provisions governing the design and manufacture of food processing equipment are set out in the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

In addition to food packaging, materials that come into contact with foodstuffs include all surfaces of equipment intended for the production and packaging of foodstuffs.

All contact materials are subject to Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004.

The Machinery Directive sets out additional requirements for machinery used in the production of foodstuffs, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. These requirements largely coincide with those of the Regulations on materials in contact with foodstuffs.

The suitability of contact materials for use with foodstuffs must be verifiable.

In the food industry, high standards of hygiene and ease of cleaning are of paramount importance; for this reason, certain designs, such as sharp corners, should be avoided. Such corners should be rounded, and any joints (e.g. welds) should be positioned further away from the corner.

The EN 1672-2 standard specifies aspects to be taken into account when designing equipment and machinery for the food industry, such as hygiene requirements—for example, the assessment of the magnitude and significance of hygiene risks and their mitigation—materials used in equipment manufacture, and information on use, such as operating instructions.

The standard also contains a section with recommendations, which presents solutions for controlling and reducing hygiene risks when designing equipment and machinery for the food industry.