Food Grade Lubricant

What Is Food Grade Lubricant?

In the food and beverage industry in which production efficiency needs to be improved while maintaining safety and cleanliness. Health concerns are rising on the usage of inappropriate lubricants in the manufacturing of various food-type products. It is very vital to use food-grade lubricants in food production facilities to avoid product pollution and unnecessary costs related to it.

The benefit of Food Grade Lubricant

1.  The High Cost of Contamination

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits any food contamination by a non-food-grade lubricant. Under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, each owner, operator, or agent in charge of a food facility is required to identify and implement preventive measures to substantially minimize and prevent food-safety hazards.

• Loss of market share due to negative publicity and declining consumer confidence.
• Extra efforts are needed to help rebuild the company’s reputation, brand image and market share

2. Help Protect the Food and Your Company

Using food-grade lubricants can help protect consumers and your company from the health, safety, and financial risks of lubricant contamination. And thanks to recent technological advancements in the lubrication industry, products are available that offer the benefits of food-grade formulation without sacrificing performance.

3. Lubricants used in the food industry

H1 – Lubricants may have incidental contact with food. Formulations may only contain certain base stocks, additives, and thickeners as specified by FDA regulations. In the event of incidental contact, contamination of food by H1 lubricant must not exceed 10 parts per million.

H2 – Lubricants may only be used where there is no possibility of contact with food. Their formulations do not face the restrictions applicable to H1 lubricants. However, H2 lubricants cannot contain carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, mineral acids, or intentionally heavy metals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, or selenium.

H3 – Lubricants may only contain edible oils that satisfy FDA 21 CFR 172.860 (such as corn, soybean, or cottonseed oils), certain mineral oils that meet FDA 21 CFR 172.878, and oils generally recognized as safe (GRAS) under either FDA 21 CFR 182 or FDA 21 CFR 184. H3 lubricants are typically used to clean and prevent rust on hooks, trolleys, and other such equipment.