EHEDG

The European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) was founded in 1989.

The members of this organization are recruited from the food industry, the suppliers of systems and equipment, scientific institutes and official bodies. It is a non-profit organization and has no legislative function.

Objective

The objective is to ensure that EU Directives Nos. 98/37 and 93/43 (relating to the hygienic production of food and the use of operating resources) are implemented on a safe basis for the industry.

The EHEDG provides the basis for standards drawn up by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Another task of the EHEDG is to gain attention on the international market. It also cooperates with the NSF and 3A in the USA. The objective is to harmonize standards and guidelines. All the guidelines of the EHEDG are drafted in English. In addition to the preparation of guidelines and standards, the EHEDG organizes workshops and further training courses.

Evaluation of equipment

The EHEDG evaluates the design and cleanability of systems and equipment; it also considers their installation, maintenance and repair.

25 subgroups in the EHEDG work on different topics.

Equipment is evaluated in a laboratory. The test is practical and easy to understand:

The test piece is cleaned and disinfected. It is incorporated in an installation in which a comparison pipe is also mounted. The entire installation is then deliberately contaminated microbiologically and then cleaned automatically using a defined process. The pipe and the item of equipment to be tested are then filled with culture media and incubated.

The instrument to be tested must not be rated below the reference pipe during the evaluation.

Certificates

Accredited laboratories perform this test. A certificate is issued for each instrument together with the corresponding process connection.

A distinction must be made as whether a company is a member of the EHEDG and has arranged for this item to be tested or whether this item has also passed the test and an application for a certificate has been made.

All certified products are listed in the Internet on the EHEDG homepage.

Link:

www.ehedg.org