FOOD SAFETY INFORMATION Are your cleaning tools food safe? DEBRA SMITH, VIKAN (UK) LTD., 1-3 AVRO GATE, BROADMOOR ROAD, SOUTH MARSTON PARK, SWINDON, WILTSHIRE, SN3 4AG, UK. INTRODUCTION Food producers are under increasing pressure from food authorities, auditors and their customers to provide evidence of compliance with all areas of food safety. This includes requests for food safety documentation in relation to the plastic cleaning equipment they use, especially that used in direct contact with food, and on food contact surfaces. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this documentation can often be difficult to obtain. New manufacturers of plastic cleaning equipment to the food industry, especially those from China and emerging markets are often unaware of the strict European food contact legislation relating to the use of these products, and neglectful of the appropriate testing or documentation in support of them. Even established European based equipment manu facturers can fall foul of the requirements, failing to use *food safe materials in the construction of their products, and providing poor or confusing compliance documentation. * Testing of resin set brushware, commissioned by Vikan and conducted by an independent accredited laboratory, showed that it repeatedly failed to meet all of the EU food contact requirements, under the test conditions used. Consequently, purchasers of equipment must be aware of the appropriate food contact material requirements, and ensure that they have access to valid, documented evidence of compliance with these. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS In Europe, there are a number of relevant pieces of legislation related to ensuring the quality and safety of the food in contact with these items. These include: • Regulation EC 178/2002[1] – on the general principles of food law. Article 14 states that food shall not be placed on the market if it is considered to be • Injurious to health or • Unfit for human consumption • Regulation EC 852/2004[2] – on the hygiene of foodstuffs Which states that: Food business operators must have in place: • ‘the measures and conditions necessary to control hazards and to ensure fitness for human consumption of a foodstuff taking into account its intended use’ Vikan A/S - Department of Research & Development 01Copyright © 2015 Vikan A/S · All Rights Reserved
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