Certification To US, EU Standards Now Available To Equipment Manufacturers

NSF International has launched the first-ever compliance verification program to cover the hygienic quality of commercial foodservice equipment under European guidelines and legislation. Its HCV EU (HACCP Compliance Verification) program offers a risk-based approach to verify the design and cleanability aspects of products offered in the EU commercial foodservice/catering equipment market.

In addition to enabling manufacturers to demonstrate commitment to food safety and the highest quality standards, HCV EU offers specifiers, including U.S.-based restaurant chains and retailers, the ability to define basic food safety principles and translate them into equipment requirements. Specifiers can then check for these requirements that cover hygienic quality when buying and selecting catering or foodservice equipment.

“We receive an increasing amount of questions from many groups of stakeholders including the European food equipment manufacturers, as well as from specifiers, retailers and restaurant groups specifying and buying commercial food equipment,” said Ann Willems, Unit Manager- Food Equipment Europe, NSF International. “All groups are looking for ways to demonstrate and verify compliance with HACCP principles as well as European legislation and guidelines.”

The 70-year-old global organization developed HCV EU based on relevant legislation and regulations such as EC 1935/2004 for food contact materials and EN 1672-2, the standard that establishes a general code of practice for cleanable design. The resulting program offers independent third-party compliance verification of equipment to manufacturers. Specifiers can work with NSF International to develop specifications for hygienically safe equipment and—when selecting and buying equipment—rely on a verification and registration service to make sure these requirements are met.

HCV EU covers three components: food contact materials; cleanability and hygienic design; and if applicable, equipment performance such as the capability to hold food at safe temperatures and to verify the efficiency of cleaning in place. A list of registered equipment, showing which aspects are covered by the compliance verification, will be available online.

Businesses seeking more information may contact Dan Fone, Director-Global Business Development, at  dfone@nsf.org or +1-734-214-6241 or Nicole de Regt, Business Development, at  nderegt@nsf.org or +32 27713654.