Lubricants and cleaners for the food industry.

For logical reasons, cleaning agents and lubricants for use in the food industry must meet special requirements. This is to prevent contamination of products and to guarantee quality. To know which agents are suitable for use in different situations, the HACCP has been developed and cleaning agents and lubricants have been divided into categories.

HACCP is a system that allows companies working with food to systematically identify what can go wrong at each stage of production. The acronym HACCP actually indicates exactly what it is all about. HA stands for Hazards: the hazards relevant within the food industry and include microbiological, chemical and physical hazards. CCP are the Critical Control Points, or: the points in the process that must be kept under control. All food processing companies are required by European legislation to draw up an HACCP plan that describes these risks and measures. The risks are determined via an analysis and form the basis for drawing up measures.

Zoning

Not every part of the production environment is equally at risk, when it comes to contamination. So the measures required may also differ, for which a so-called zone classification has been developed. These are the primary zone (most critical), secondary zone, splash zone and non-food zone. The relevant products - also called "food grade" products - are marked for which zones they may be used. 

Products

Manufacturers of cleaners and lubricants must indicate on their product packaging for which zone a particular product is suitable. For this purpose, NSF (National Standard Foundation) developed several categories. For cleaning agents, all A categories (from 1 to 8) are not permitted during production but only outside production times. These include, for example, agents for general cleaning, floor and wall cleaners, degreasers and metal polishes. H1-certified products may be used during production. These are cleaners that also have (short-term) lubricating properties. All products in the C category (1 to 3) are prohibited in process areas and are often intended for paint removal or toilet cleaning.

Lubricants

Lubricants have three categories: H1, H2 and 3H. All three categories include lubricants that are permitted during production. H1 stands for, "General lubrication with possible incidental food contact (maximum 10 ppm). These products may contain only very specific bases, additives and thickeners as specified in FDA regulations in 21 CFR 178.3750. For example, they must meet NSF additive (HX-1) requirements and also be tasteless, odorless and colorless. In addition to composition and properties, labeling must also meet strict requirements. For example, the information must not mislead, the label must contain the correct instructions for use, and it must make the product traceable to the manufacturer. Also, the user must be able to find the NSF registration mark, the H1 category code and a unique product registration number here. 

H2 lubricants for general lubrication are permitted only in situations where there is no possibility of contaminating food, drink or medicine. Also not incidental. This applies, for example, to the oil in a forklift. The agents must also not contain carcinogens, mutagens, teratogenic substances, mineral acids or intentionally heavy metals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury or selenium.

Finally, H3 lubricants consist of edible oils such as corn, cottonseed, soy or mineral oils and are generally used to prevent rust on hooks and trolleys, for example. These agents - like H1 - are allowed to come into incidental contact with food but here at no more than 100 ppm.

In general, when in doubt, it is best to choose an H1 lubricant. Even better is to remove the doubt by having research done by specialists and based on that make a sure choice and avoid problems.