Just what is certified processing equipment? Why is it important? What are the benefits? How would I go about getting a certification for a piece of equipment? These and many other questions come up when the topic of certified equipment is presented. These questions are most often raised by equipment fabricators, processing plant buyers of equipment and quality assurance and food safety departments of food processors.
In reality, these individuals and companies have been using certified equipment for many years for items bearing the Underwriters Laboratory certification mark or the certifications from NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. What hasn’t been done as often is the certification of processing equipment for conformance to hygienic engineering principles.
The goal of all food processors is to produce a safe and wholesome food product that their customers desire and will repeatedly purchase. Once lost to a food safety recall incident, that customer confidence is extremely hard to regain. The enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has focused the responsibility for safe food squarely on the shoulders of the processing industry. The purchase and use of processing equipment that has been certified as conforming to hygienic engineering design principles can go a long way toward satisfying the necessary internal processing controls required by FSMA.
Internationally Recognized Standards for Food Processing Equipment