Intertek, a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, has completed a project with Bizerba, a worldwide leader of weighing, labeling, and food processing equipment, to adapt the NSF/ANSI 8-2012 hygiene standard for fully automatic slicing machines.
The project was initially for Intertek to test and certify Bizerba's fully automatic slicing machines VS12 (counter retail) and A400 (preparation room retail) to the applicable hygiene standard at that time, NSF/ANSI 8-2010. The testing regimen evolved to eventually include the updated standard, NSF/ANSI 8-2012, and as of May 2013 both product lines bear the "Intertek ETL Sanitation Listed Mark". This makes Bizerba's fully automatic machines, which are used throughout the food industry, the world's first to be certified to NSF/ANSI 8-2012 - a strict standard originally specified for manual slicing machines.
The challenge of the product certification, driven by project groups from Intertek and Bizerba in Germany and the USA, was to design the complex and fully-automated cutting systems in the simplest possible functional and efficient construction. Particular emphasis was placed on ease of cleaning to allow maximum hygiene in daily operation. Other requirements included standardized hygienic operation of the product lines, specified outflow for juices of sliced item, avoiding undercuts or joints, and the sealing of complex components to unavoidable joints.
Particular emphasis in the design and testing of systems to comply with NSF/ANSI 8-2012 was placed on identical slice management, which guarantees the simple operation of all machines from both product lines. The teams paid special attention to the system components that contact the items to be sliced and the juices from the sliced items (food zone), as well as the trough, support, and the mount for the items to be sliced. The minimum inclination of the slicing machine significantly affects the desired operation and flow of juices from the items sliced. Instead of corners and angles, radii were designed, joints avoided by component modification, gaps eliminated by the use of solid materials, and unavoidable gaps and joints were properly sealed. Parts that come into contact with items to be sliced - such as the carriage, support and grinder - can easily be disassembled and quickly and easily cleaned in the dishwasher.
With the "ETL Sanitation" certification, Intertek confirms that Bizerba's fully automatic product lines VS12 and A400 fulfill all the relevant hygiene requirements of NSF/ANSI 8-2012. The systems meet the highest hygiene standards on the market to reduce food hygiene risks as well as minimize cleaning times.
The project was initially for Intertek to test and certify Bizerba's fully automatic slicing machines VS12 (counter retail) and A400 (preparation room retail) to the applicable hygiene standard at that time, NSF/ANSI 8-2010. The testing regimen evolved to eventually include the updated standard, NSF/ANSI 8-2012, and as of May 2013 both product lines bear the "Intertek ETL Sanitation Listed Mark". This makes Bizerba's fully automatic machines, which are used throughout the food industry, the world's first to be certified to NSF/ANSI 8-2012 - a strict standard originally specified for manual slicing machines.
The challenge of the product certification, driven by project groups from Intertek and Bizerba in Germany and the USA, was to design the complex and fully-automated cutting systems in the simplest possible functional and efficient construction. Particular emphasis was placed on ease of cleaning to allow maximum hygiene in daily operation. Other requirements included standardized hygienic operation of the product lines, specified outflow for juices of sliced item, avoiding undercuts or joints, and the sealing of complex components to unavoidable joints.
Particular emphasis in the design and testing of systems to comply with NSF/ANSI 8-2012 was placed on identical slice management, which guarantees the simple operation of all machines from both product lines. The teams paid special attention to the system components that contact the items to be sliced and the juices from the sliced items (food zone), as well as the trough, support, and the mount for the items to be sliced. The minimum inclination of the slicing machine significantly affects the desired operation and flow of juices from the items sliced. Instead of corners and angles, radii were designed, joints avoided by component modification, gaps eliminated by the use of solid materials, and unavoidable gaps and joints were properly sealed. Parts that come into contact with items to be sliced - such as the carriage, support and grinder - can easily be disassembled and quickly and easily cleaned in the dishwasher.
With the "ETL Sanitation" certification, Intertek confirms that Bizerba's fully automatic product lines VS12 and A400 fulfill all the relevant hygiene requirements of NSF/ANSI 8-2012. The systems meet the highest hygiene standards on the market to reduce food hygiene risks as well as minimize cleaning times.
