We take sanitary equipment design seriously and guarantee our equipment meets all sanitary requirements for the meat and poultry industries. Every piece of equipment is designed for 100% cleanability, easy wash-down, and is manufactured with continuous TIG welds to prevent bacteria from harboring and growing. Ultimately, our commitment to sanitary design and construction decreases your cleaning and sanitation costs and increases your bottom line.
The following 10 Principles of Sanitary Equipment Design were created by the EDTF to reduce contamination and associated recalls in the meat and poultry industries, but are applicable to equipment for all food uses. You can learn more about these principles on the American Meat Institute Foundation’s website.
Fusion Tech strictly follows these 10 principles for sanitary equipment design.
Food equipment must be constructed to ensure effective and efficient cleaning over the like of the equipment. The equipment should be designed as to prevent bacterial ingress, survival, growth, and reproduction on both product and non-product contact surfaces of the equipment.
Construction materials used for equipment must be completely compatible with the product, environment, cleaning, and sanitizing chemicals and the methods of cleaning and sanitation.
All parts of the equipment shall be readily accessible for inspection, maintenance, cleaning and sanitation without the use of tools.
Equipment should be self-draining to assure that liquid, which can harbor or promote the growth of bacteria, does not accumulate, pool or condense on the equipment.
Hollow areas of equipment such as frames and rollers must be eliminated wherever possible or permanently sealed. Bolts, studs, mounting plates, brackets, junction boxes, nameplates, end caps, sleeves, and other items must be continuously welded to the surfaces, not attached via drilled and taped holes.
Equipment parts should be free of niches such as pits, cracks, corrosion, recesses, open seams, gaps, lap seams, protruding ledges, inside threads, bolt rivets and dead ends.
During normal operations, the equipment must perform so it does not contribute to unsanitary conditions or the harborage and growth of bacteria.
Maintenance enclosures and human machine interfaces such as push buttons, valve handles, switches and touchscreens, must be designed to ensure that product residue or water does not penetrate or accumulate in and on the enclosure or interface. Also, physical design of the enclosures should be sloped or pitched to avoid use as a storage area or residue accumulation point.
Equipment that requires additional sub systems, such as exhaust, drainage, or automated cleaning systems, does not create sanitary design risk because of the soil load, operational conditions, or standard sanitation operating procedures. Consideration is given to exhaust duct design, the ability for drain lines to remove effluent effectively (especially when dealing with vessels), and the effectiveness of CIP systems for the process. This means the team completing the checklist is taking a look at the equipment and its supporting systems together versus individually and evaluating how they will likely function as a system.
Procedures for cleaning and sanitation must be clearly written, designed and proven effective and efficient. Chemicals recommended for cleaning and sanitation must be compatible with the equipment and the manufacturing environment.
