Mennekes – Hygienic Electrical Designs Facilitate FSMA Compliance

October 14, 2019

Those of you in the food industry are already familiar with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)—a law that focuses on preventing contamination, rather than reacting to the problem after the fact. A big part of FSMA compliance has to do with the design of plant equipment, which includes the electrical components that provide power to manufacturing lines.

Fortunately, MENNEKES offers a variety of electrical products that make FSMA compliance easier than ever. Let’s explore this topic in our new blog post.

The Basics
The goal of FSMA is to prevent food contamination at each stage of the global supply chain. Your food manufacturing plant must meet a variety of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements, including implementing sanitary transportation practices, assessing food safety hazards and controlling allergens. In addition to reducing the number of recalls, these practices are intended to protect consumers from cross contamination and foodborne illnesses.

Designing Components for Food Safety
Critical to FSMA compliance is how your food processing and handling equipment is designed. For example, components must be free of harborage points, use clean welds and minimize fasteners to avoid points for microorganism growth. Additionally, parts must be able to withstand the rigors of daily cleaning practices used in food and beverage facilities.

To get started, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do my component parts have hollow cavities, smooth welds and a smooth finish?
• Can I easily clean food-contact surfaces or disassemble equipment to sanitize?
• Can my components handle washdown and harsh cleaning agents in line with safe sanitation practices?

MENNEKES Clean Products
Consistent with these efforts, MENNEKES has designed several product lines for plant power requirements, which minimize the risk of contamination in processing areas. Our switches and receptacles, for instance, meet UL Type 4X standards to protect against washdown and corrosive agents. Many of our products—including our SPEC Grade motor disconnects—are also housed in Type 304 Stainless Steel enclosures with a 15-degree sloped roof to eliminate standing water and minimize harborage concerns.

In addition, our new FM Series of Motor Disconnects features a semi-recessed profile to minimize the accumulation of surface contaminants. Units are constructed from Type 316 Stainless Steel—withstanding rigorous washdown and providing corrosion resistance in harsh plant environments.

To learn more about how our power handling equipment can help you comply with FSMA, please visit our solutions page.