Tools for Environmental Health.

Need Definitive Answers? Go to the Standards!

Don't you dare turn to the next page without reading this article; we've got some important information on using ANSI/NSF standards. And it isn't what you think ... boring. This stuff is quite useful.

A little history is in order. When we started our careers as sanitarians about a decade before the publication of the 1976 Food Code (we certainly are dating ourselves), the laws and regulations used to enforce food service sanitation and food safety were not as comprehensive as they are today. We remember conducting inspections using a two-to three-page document of general regulations and a ruled pad on a clipboard. Inspection forms, if they did exist, were at best rudimentary. In some ways, this system was not all that bad. It forced us to use other resources to adjudicate differences of opinions. Filth was filth - no argument there. When it came to equipment design, however - and to construction and operation - the interpretation of concepts such as "adequate," "cleanable," and "of sanitary design" was often a matter of contention because the interpretation had some serious economic consequences for the operator. We soon learned to defuse these differences of opinion by using a third-party standard as a reference and a final arbiter. Thus the National Sanitation Foundation's standards for food equipment, dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers constantly accompanied us on our inspection tours. We remember replacing our soiled-spattered, well-thumbed, dog-eared copies annually because of their frequent use in the field. Unfortunately, after the adoption of the 1976 Food Code, inspection emphasis shifted, and sanitarians used the NSF standards documents less frequently.

Now we have the HACCP method as our gold standard. This new paradigm, introduced by recent food codes, demands performance, and part of that performance is inextricably linked to food service equipment and its operation. Over the past year, we have in several instances found ourselves back at square one: trying to adjudicate a violation by interpreting the very same concepts we tackled three decades ago. We now realize that it is time to re-examine the NSF standards as a valued inspection tool.

On food-related equipment, the NSF mark (or its equivalent) notifies us that the equipment was built to a consensus standard and that its conformity to that standard has been verified by a third party. In other words, the mark tells us that the manufacturer of the unit followed a standard that outlined the "basic principles of design, construction, and performance necessary for easy cleanability, food protection, and the elimination of harborages." The entire manufacturing process and the finished product are subject to verification by an unannounced, independent third-party inspection.

The standards themselves establish minimum requirements: definitions, materials, design, construction, and, when applicable, performance. Annexes to the standards detail methods, provide installation guidelines, and reference a host of other pertinent and related standards. Finally, each standard lists the committee members responsible for its approval. Needless to say, these dedicated experts are an excellent source of further practical information.

Not bad for a publication of only 25 pages or so.

If we were to choose a single standard from which to start a library, it would be ANSI/NSF 2-1996: Food Equipment. This is the standard from which all other standards have evolved, and it has seen nine revisions over 47 years. It is absolutely chock-full of great information about what sanitary design really is and what to look for during an inspection. For instance, did you know that "tight-fitting" means no gap greater than 1/64th of an inch? Or that the only acceptable organic coating in a heated food contact zone is a polymerized tetrafluoroethylene? Did you know that screws, bolts, and rivet heads are, in most instances, not allowed in the food zone? Or that all edges exposed to fingers during cleaning must be deburred and smooth? These are just some examples of the information contained in this standard.

In addition to the food equipment standard, NSF International publishes 21 standards related to food sanitation and numerous other standards that cover everything from drinking-water treatment units to laboratory furnishings to package wastewater treatment systems to swimming pools to plastic piping - just to name a few.

The standards are easily obtained: Simply go to the NSF International website at <http://www.nsf.org>, and follow the links. Don't take our word for it - check it out for yourself.

This article is provided by NEHA for informational purposes only. It is designed to better inform our members about topical and relevant goods and services available to the environmental health professional. Opinions expressed about any product or service in this column either expressly or implied are solely and completely those of the author/s and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the National Environmental Health Association.