Yearbook 2013/2014 - ehedg

European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group
Hygienic automation technology in food production
How clean design automation products support food safety
Alexander Wagner, Festo AG & Co. KG, Esslingen, Germany, e-mail: awn@de.festo.com, www.festo.com
Protecting the consumer and the manufacturer’s brand are
the key benefits of hygienic and efficient automation in food
production. The aims are two-fold: high productivity and
perfect tasting food.
The key questions for food safety in the automation
technology are:
• What are the potential hazards in food production and
processing?
• What are the valid standards and directives for
hygienic automation technology?
• What standards are to be respected in the material
selection and design for hygienic machinery
components?
• How are machinery parts in the food sector to be
cleaned?
• How is a hygienic food production system to be
implemented?
Recognising and preventing risks
Salmonella in sausages, Listeria in cheese – the list of
foodborne illness outbreaks and scandals is endless.
Significant hazards in the food sector are caused by:
• Biological factors: illness caused by microorganisms or
their toxins
• Chemical factors: cleaning and disinfecting agents and
lubricants
• Foreign particles: from machines, often caused by
corrosion or abrasion, or from other sources
When ensuring that a machine‘s design is hygienic, all
known and potential hazards must be taken into account,
and action must be taken to reduce these risks.
Figure 1: Resistant surfaces and a high IP protection class, such
as those of the pneumatic valve terminal CDVI, are component
features that meet requirements for hygiene regulations.
Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
This directive focuses on health and safety requirements
put in place to protect machinery operators. Possible risks
should be eliminated. Special hygiene requirements apply to
machinery intended for the preparation and handling of food.
The machinery must be designed and constructed in such a
way as to avoid any risk of infection, sickness or contagion.
This directive forms the basis for the EC conformity mark.
The basics – standards and directives
Standards and directives form the basis that allows people
to enjoy food with reduced risk of adverse health effects from
consuming contaminated products (Table 1). Implementing
these regulations during production reduces the risks for the
manufacturer and the consumer. The aim of the European
Commission (EC) Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is the
protection and safety of consumers and operators wherever
food comes into direct contact with machine parts and
components. The application of standards and directives
for design (EN 1672-2 and European Hygienic Engineering
& Design Group [EHEDG] Documents 8 and 13) and
materials (US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] Code of
Regulations Title 21, International Standards Organisation
[ISO] 21469, and EC Regulation1935/2004/EC) provide
additional support for food safety.
Figure 2: The threadless design for the bearing cap as it is used
in the stainless steel round cylinder CRDSNU reduces the risk
of contamination. In addition, the self-adjusting end position
cushioning system is designed without adjusting screws, which are
susceptible to contamination.