If you work in the food industry, you know just how important it is to have the right products. What you use around food is a crucial concern, one that cannot be taken lightly.
It is important that the products you use are food grade to ensure the safety and quality of your offerings, but it can be difficult to know what products meet these strict standards. Luckily, Kimball Midwest is proud to offer a robust line of products that meet food-grade standards.
What does it mean to have products that are food grade? To understand what it means, we have to look back at the history food safety regulations in the United States.
Until 1998, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had a product authorization program for items used in federally inspected meat and poultry plants. While it had always ultimately been up to the individual inspector in charge of any given facility to allow or disallow the use of a product in a given application, the USDA authorization program made it easier for a customer to know what was likely to be acceptable.
However, when the USDA discontinued its program in 1998, the industry was left without any oversight for the evaluation and certification of these products. This made it more challenging for companies to confidently choose products that met food safety standards.
So, in 1999, the National Sanitary Foundation (NSF) launched its Nonfood Compounds Registration Program to reintroduce the previous authorization program administered by the USDA. Products eligible for NSF Registration include all compounds used in and around food establishments (nonfood compounds), such as cleaners and lubricants.
While the original USDA program had hundreds of thousands of products to use in food-related applications, the NSF program registers only about 15,000 products. This means it is extremely challenging for companies to find certified food-grade products.
We offer several products that are NSF registered for use in food processing industries. This includes products such as cleaners, solvents, penetrants and more.
Here are just some of the products we offer that are food grade:
If you need food-grade products, look no further than Kimball Midwest. With the NSF products we offer, you can trust that your shop’s needs are met with products that not only perform effectively but also comply with critical food safety standards.
Note not all food-grade items are safe to come in contact with food. To ensure safety, be sure to read the relevant product labels and NSF standards carefully before use.
If you want to know more about our food-grade products, reach out to your Kimball Midwest sales representative. If you don’t already have a rep, we can help you