We’ve prepared a summary of what to expect with food grade lubricants – NSF.
NSF International is an organization that certifies companies compliant with numerous safety and quality standards around the world. A product that bears the NSF seal have been manufactured under the most rigorous safety standards in use today. NSF, which was originally founded in 1944 when it created safety and sanitation standards for food service equipment, is one of the premier safety and quality standards and certification organizations worldwide.
NSF International serves a variety of industries, offering certification, standards development and training to industries as diverse as aerospace, chemical and food supplement manufacturing and production. NSF offers expert training to regulatory agencies that oversee safety in manufacturing processes and even collaborates with the World Health Organization on water quality and food safety.
One of the services that NSF offers the food safety industry is registration of non-food compounds, like oils, water treatment chemicals and other compounds that are used in food processing and that meet NSF’s rigorous standards for food consumption safety. While these materials are not foods themselves, they may be used in cleaning, lubricating or otherwise operating equipments that process food for human consumption. Since they are used in and on food processing equipment, their residues must be safe for human consumption, no matter how small the amount or how unlikely the possibility of contact with food.
NSF conducts extensive toxicology assessments of every non-food product that it receives for possible registration with NSF. Those products that pass NSF’s assessment are registered and listed in the NSF White Book, a globally-recognized compendium of non-food products that have been found safe for use in food processing.
In addition to White Book registration, NSF also certifies food-grade lubricants that meet the requirements of ISO 21469, the quality standard specifically for food-grade lubricants. The standard lists requirements for hygiene in the manufacture, use and handling of lubricants that might have even incidental contact with foods being processed in the equipment using the lubricants.
Stevenson Oil and Chemical produces several food-grade lubricants that meet NSF International’s rigorous registration standards for H-1 lubricants and that are listed in the White Book of NSF-registered compounds.
