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Food Grade Compatible

Food grade is just a term. It’s not an organization or regulation. When plants build or service machines, it’s their responsibility to understand food grade materials and how to use them.

Food grade equipment and devices are important, because products are usually in direct contact with the devices manufacturing the food products. Chemical compounds in the materials could leach into exposed products, or in some situations, could result in tiny pieces of a material transferring directly into the product to be consumed.

When equipment is designed to be food grade, these hazards are avoided. For example, if a food grade silicone o-ring is exposed to hot or acidic food products, no harmful chemicals can leach out of the silicone into that product. If a tiny amount of food grade lubricant or grease makes its way to a product-contact portion of a piece of equipment, it will not cause harm to the end user.

However, food grade is only a term to describe the material of equipment and does not mean that the equipment, as a whole, is safe for food. Other factors, such as cleanability, need to be taken into account. The only way to guarantee that a piece of equipment is sanitary is by depending on certifications from organizations like 3-A Sanitary Standards and European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG) and utilizing proper installation and maintenance methods.

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