NSF 538 MOAH-Free Certification for Nonfood Compounds and Food Equipment Materials
As a manufacturer looking to build resilience in your product offering, NSF MOAH-Free certification validates your nonfood compounds or food equipment materials do not contain high levels of MOAH*. If you’re looking to certify MOAH-Free food-grade lubricants, MOAH-Free mold release agents or MOAH-Free O-rings, for example, we’re ready to get you started.
More than a single test report, NSF MOAH-Free certified products are retested annually and accompanied by either a combined or individual certification mark, signifying compliance to the guideline. This can provide additional peace of mind for your buyers and end users. Plus, once a product is certified, you can direct any buyer seeking confirmation to your NSF online listing or (for nonfood compounds) to the NSF White Book™.
Designed by NSF food safety specialists, highly qualified chemists, and our standards development professionals, NSF Certification Guideline 538, MOAH-Free Products for Nonfood Compounds and Food Equipment Materials, is built on industry needs from across the supply chain, in-depth food industry knowledge and decades of NSF standards development. We wrote the standard, we set the benchmark.
To qualify for MOAH-Free certification:
- For nonfood compounds: Your products must be registered with NSF as a nonfood compound, or certified by NSF to ISO 21469, Lubricants with Incidental Product Contact.
- For food equipment materials: Your products must be certified by NSF to Standard 51, Food Equipment Materials.
Start your MOAH-Free certification process
Steps to MOAH-Free certification
- 1
Contact us and provide the relevant documentation for your product(s)
- 2
We’ll conduct:
- Formulation review and testing setup
- Label review
- MOAH analysis
- Quality control check on the project and related documents.
- 3
Following a successful outcome:
Your NSF online listing (or NSF White Book™ listing for nonfood compounds) will be updated to include your new certificate.
You will receive authorisation to apply the corresponding certification mark on your products.
- 4
Continued compliance for extra peace of mind
We’ll request an annual attestation is signed by you (the manufacturer) confirming your formulation has not changed.
We’ll request a sample for MOAH testing annually to demonstrate ongoing compliance.
Why certify with NSF?
With food safety regulations increasing, and growing pressure to prove your products are MOAH-Free, certify your nonfood compounds or food equipment materials with NSF.
Backed by decades of specialist food industry knowledge and standards development, NSF MOAH-Free certification aligns with growing regulatory demands and proves your products meet top safety standards.
NSF MOAH-Free certification sets your products apart, supports your commitment to evolving regulations, and can open doors to new markets.
*MOAH-Free certification is based on the definition in NSF 538 Guideline, MOAH-Free Products for Nonfood Compounds and Food Equipment Materials.
Resources
NSF Food for Thought Podcast: Chemicals of Concern
PodcastThis series examines chemicals of concern in the food supply chain, including PFAS, and their impact on food safety, materials, and sustainability. Expert insights highlight risks, regulatory attention, and practical steps toward safer material choices.
What Are MOAH? Health Risks, Food Safety Regulations and Industry Impact
ArticleLearn what MOAH (Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons) are, how they contaminate food and equipment, their health risks, and how global food safety regulations address them.
NSF/ANSI Standard 51 Lead Content Changes
ArticleWhen NSF/ANSI Standard 51, Food Equipment Materials was updated in 2023, several revisions were made including updated requirements for the verification of lead content.