They say that after handling raw meat, you should wash your hands. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services advises anyone preparing meals to wash their hands often—before, during, and after preparing food—with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. However, with machinery that handles food, hygiene and safety is not as simple as washing your hands.
It is ideal for surfaces of materials, coatings, and surface treatments in meat and poultry processing equipment to be durable and cleanable. As noted in NSF/ANSI/3A 14159-1-2019: Hygiene Requirements For The Design Of Meat And Poultry Processing Equipment, if necessary, this equipment should be capable of being sanitized without breaking, cracking, and chipping (among other detriments) and resistant to the penetration of foreign matter. Meat and poultry processing equipment are also expected to resist high pressure and humid operating environments.
Specifically, the NSF/ANSI/3A 14159-1-2019 standard sets minimum food protection and sanitation for the materials, design, fabrication, and construction of meat and poultry processing equipment. It applies to equipment intended for use in the slaughter, processing, and packaging of meat and poultry products, and it is meant to be applied by designers and manufacturers, who, in turn, provide guidance to the equipment users.
However, NSF/ANSI/3A 14159-1-2019 does not contain operator safety requirements, nor does it apply to hand held tools and mechanical belt conveyors. Similarly, requirements for the uncontrolled egress of microbiological agents from the equipment are excluded from the NSF/ANSI/3A 14159-1-2019 document.
NSF/ANSI/3A 14159-1-2019 revises the 2014 edition of the same standard, with notable changes regarding the use of the term “NOTE” in Section 5, “Design and construction.” There was also an editorial update to the names of the standard’s annexes.
NSF International and 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-A SSI) collaborated to develop this American National Standard.
NSF/ANSI/3A 14159-1-2019: Hygiene Requirements For The Design Of Meat And Poultry Processing Equipment is available on the ANSI Webstore.
