TREO® 2300 Needled Blanket
Low shrinkage at use temperature, low thermal conductivity…
Read more
© TextilesInside 2023
Food & Beverage Industry
Food grade equipment and devices are important because products are usually in direct contact with the devices manufacturing the food products. Chemical compounds in the materials could leach into exposed product, or some situations, could result in tiny pieces of a material transferring directly into the product to be consumed. When equipment is designed to be food grade, these hazards are avoided.
Food Grade Fabrics
In the food & beverage industry textiles are used for filters, screens, belting, flexible connectors, etc.
Food grade means the material is fit for human consumption or allowed to be in contact with food. To be defined as food grade, materials need to be non-toxic and safe for consumption.
Following this, food grade fabrics are tested and certified fabrics that meet FDA requirements or European migration requirements for direct food contact.
The two primary conditions for safe contact with food are
- The material or fiber of which the fiber is made should be safe;
- The manufacturing process and additives used are safe. Food grade fabrics are used in a variety of ways ranging from machine belting to filtration media.
Is food grade always food safe?
Just because a material is permitted to come in contact with food, it’s not necessarily food-safe. To be food-safe, a food-grade material should also be fit-for-purpose for its intended use without causing a food-safety hazard. This means that you should look at every process that comes in contact with the food stream and question whether it’s truly food-safe.
Food Grade Fabric Applications
There are several fabric food-grade applications to be considered within the food industry, namely, conveyor belting, filtration media, dust socks, and flexible connectors:
- Conveyors and Belting - Without a food-grade conveyor belting system, it’s impossible to convey your product. To choose the right conveyor belt type and style, the shapes and sizes of food products should be considered as well as the temperature and form. The common practice utilizes blue food-grade conveyor belts because the blue color makes it easier to identify soil impurities. These conveyor belts contain reinforcing fibers to prevent contamination.
- Filter media - As part of a filtering system, filter media separates unwanted particles from a substance to increase the purity and quality.
- Dust socks - Highly efficient, economical solutions for industrial dust collection and airborne particulate filtration. Dust Socks are made from 100% Cotton Sateen and include built-in zippers for cleaning purposes. All socks are slightly breathable and tapered at the necks for fitting purposes.
- Flexible connectors - Flexible connectors are used to provide piping systems with the flexibility to absorb noise and vibration.
