Don't worry, be HACCPY
Using a non-approved lubricant in the food processing sector is a risky business
Using a non-approved lubricant in the food processing sector is a risky business – the cost of product contamination can be extremely high. But what is an approved lubricant, and how can you make sure yours comply with the standards?
Prevention, as they say, is better than cure. It may be an old and over-used proverb, but that doesn’t make it not true. Because it’s true in any walk of life – and nowhere more so than in the manufacture of foodstuffs, where flawed processes are at best expensive and at worst fatal. That’s why prevention is at the heart of the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) approach to safety in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. A twelve-step process designed to reduce or eliminate the risk of contamination by identifying safety-critical points in a process. HACCP is adopted throughout the world and has been mandatory for European food processing companies since 1993, under EC Directive 93/43/EEC.
Lubricants are an obvious potential hazard in food processing and their application must be rigorously controlled. After all, if even tiny amounts – a few ppm (parts per million) – of unapproved lubricant find their way into a processed food, it’s enough to shut down the entire production or stop the delivery of goods. The best way of avoiding this is not to use lubricant which doesn’t meet the legally required standard. But what is the legally required standard?
Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly, there is currently no binding European or international legislation that defines lubricants approved for use in the food processing industry. Although the HACCP method covers the handling of lubricants, it does not explicitly cover the ingredients that can be used in them. As a result, companies in the food sector and related areas, tend to work to the US regulations, which are the world’s strictest. To facilitate the safe development of lubricants, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) produces a ‘Positive List’ which is recognised around the world and which contains all ingredients permissible in lubricants approved for use in food processing. All lubricants tested by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) are published in a White Book based on this list. The classification NSF H1 means lubricants which may be used when contact with food cannot be technically excluded, while those that can be used when contact with food is technically excluded are summarised under NSF H2.
This explains why there is a cost premium attached to lubricants in the food sector. Developing such products is a complex task. That’s because, as well as ensuring they fulfil all the requisite demands of the food industry – they must be odourless, tasteless, physiologically harmless and be resistant to special disinfectants and cleaning agents. They must also meet international regulations as well as, very often, special regulations for specific countries or religious communities. Manufacturing a lubricant which can withstand the typically extreme pressure and temperature conditions and harsh cleaning regimes of the food environment is tough enough – researching the ingredients and testing the final product against the demands of the food standards bodies makes it significantly tougher.
One way of ensuring that a lubricant meets the standard is to play safe – that is, to use speciality food-grade products from OKS. An industry-leader in the technology, its lubricants are all designed for high-performance industrial requirements and are suitable for a wide range of applications such as food processing equipment, food packaging and logistics, baking ovens, refrigerators, toy manufacturing and the pharmaceutical industry. Meeting the strict requirements of the NSF, all OKS food grade lubricants are either NSF H1 or NSF H2 registered – so you know you’re compliant with national and international regulations.
But OKS has a lot of products. And you may be unsure which is the most suitable for your precise requirements. No problem – ERIKS is a world-leader in the field of tribology, and we have experts who can advise you on precisely the best lubricant for your needs.
1. Assemble HACCP Team
2. Describe product
3. Identify the intended use
4. Construct flow diagram
5. On-site confirmation of flow diagram
6. Conduct a hazard analysis
7. Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs).
8. Establish Critical Limits
9. Monitor CCPs
10. Establish preplanned corrective actions to be taken
11. Establish procedures for verification
12. Ensure proper documentation and records of HACCP process are maintained