Supporting Best Practices in Food Equipment Safety
Have you ever felt sick after eating out? Did you blame it on the undercooked chicken or the unwashed salad? Another possibility is that the equipment used to make your food may not have been cleaned properly or set at the right temperature — thus creating a source of potentially harmful bacteria!
How do foodservice operators know that the equipment they’re using has been designed to keep food safer and can actually do so? From being easy to clean and maintain to keeping food at the correct temperatures, it’s critical that food equipment is developed with health and safety in mind, especially with the increased focus on food safety due to the pandemic.
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is the preferred method of protecting the public against food safety hazards in equipment. As such, foodservice operators must have an HACCP plan and take the preventive measures necessary to mitigate risks related to commercial food equipment.
Our HACCP Compliance Verification (HCV) program helps food equipment manufacturers reduce food safety risks while supporting foodservice operations and their customers. Services in NSF’s HCV program include checking the equipment’s food contact materials, cleanability and performance. These checks help to minimize risks, such as food contamination, food poisoning and an unhygienic environment.
For nearly 80 years, NSF has served as the leading authority for testing and certifying commercial food equipment. Today, NSF offers certification and verification programs in multiple countries, tailored to meet relevant requirements. HCV EU, a program to address HACCP and European food contact material requirements, was launched in 2016 and has since been adopted by major brands across Europe.
Most recently, we introduced a similar program in India. The HACCP Compliance Verification India program allows manufacturers who want to sell equipment in the Indian market to demonstrate hygienic design.
“Participating in NSF’s HCV India program will provide us with validation from a third party that our equipment is safer to use in commercial kitchens and is in line with food safety best practices and requirements,” said a food equipment manufacturer in India. “In turn, we are able to build trust from our clients and their consumers — all while protecting their health and safety.”
Only available through NSF, HACCP Compliance Verification enables businesses to stand out and demonstrate the hygienic safety credentials of their equipment. The service covers three core aspects of food equipment:
- Food contact materials
- Cleanability
- Performance
Based on best practices and NSF’s decades of experience in hygienic design and developing food equipment standards, this service delivers a unique way to independently validate equipment built with food safety in mind. It’s also a way to differentiate products, ensuring that they will work in unison with a food facility’s HACCP plan, whether it’s a quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain or a business within the hospitality industry at large.
Once registered, manufacturers can display the HCV IN mark to show that the equipment is suitable for an HACCP-controlled environment. It reassures users, buyers, specifiers and customers that the equipment contributes to food safety, while enhancing its brand value.
“By following HACCP practices and applicable local legislation, manufacturers can better meet the growing needs and demands of consumers while gaining the confidence that their equipment has been verified for food safety,” said Jyoti Bhasin, Managing Director of APAC, Global Food Safety Division, at NSF.
Learn more about NSF’s HACCP Compliance Verification program in India.
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