NSF Certification of Food Processing Equipment

In September 1997, the USDA announced it would no longer review meat and poultry processing equipment for use in USDA-inspected meat and poultry processing plants. Since then, no meat and poultry processing equipment has been evaluated or certified. In response, NSF International began to develop a standard for meat and poultry processing equipment. In conjunction with 3-A, a respected standards writing organization that has developed several standards for food processing equipment, NSF developed Draft Standard NSF/3-A 14159-1-1999, Hygiene Requirements for the Design of Meat and Poultry Processing Equipment. The Draft Standard is based on ISO Draft International Standard 14159, Safety of Machinery Hygiene Requirements for the Design of Machinery. NSF now offers certification of products to the new Draft Standard under NSF's Food Equipment Program. The administrative requirements mirror those currently in place for Food Equipment standards. Certification Process:
1. Manufacturers submit an application.
2. Manufacturers sign a Contract for Certification Services, agreeing to comply with the requirements of both the Standard and the Draft Policies for Meat and Poultry Processing Equipment.
3. NSF conducts an initial physical evaluation of the equipment, either at the production site or the processing facility. This is a departure from the Food Service Equipment evaluation procedure, where the initial evaluation is normally conducted only at the manufacturer's production facility. Given the size of some of the meat and poultry equipment, NSF offers manufacturers the option of evaluating the equipment at the user's processing facility, because this may be the only site where the equipment is completely assembled. This evaluation includes a review of the materials and the design and construction requirements as specified in Draft Standard NSF/3-A 14159-1-1999.
4. NSF reviews the Risk Assessment (prepared by the manufacturer in accordance with the Standard) to assure that all public health concerns related to the design, operation, and cleaning of the equipment have been addressed.
5. The Standard also requires the manufacturer to provide for review manuals that include cleaning, maintenance, and installation procedures.

The NSF/3-A Standard for Food Processing Equipment

There are significant differences between the NSF/3-A Standard for food processing equipment and current NSF Standards for Food Equipment. For food processing equipment:
There are only two zones, Product Contact Zone and Non-Product Contact Zone.
There is no Splash Zone as there is in food equipment.
Due to the specialized end use environment and necessary cleaning procedures, material requirements are different than those for food equipment in restaurants. The best example concerns the use of aluminum. Most aluminum alloys are acceptable for all zones for use in food equipment. Under NSF Standard 51, Food Equipment Materials. The Food Processing standard does not allow the use of aluminum unless it has been treated with an acceptable coating such as hard coat anodizing. This is because most food processing equipment is pressure cleaned with a caustic solution that would pit and corrode untreated aluminum.
Several manufacturers have already applied and the process of certifying their equipment to Draft Standard NSF/3-A 14159-1-1999 is underway.

For more information, contact John Armbruster, 800-NSF MARK, ext. 5729.

NSF International, 789 Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. Tel: 800-NSF-MARK; Fax: 734-913-5787.