H1 is the leading lubricant category and because of its standing in the industry, the voluntary standard ISO 21469, Safety of machinery — Lubricants with incidental product contact — Hygiene requirements was published in 2006 by the International Organization for Standardization to require hygienic standards for the formulation of the lubricants used in specialized industries such as food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and animal feed manufacturing.
The growing trend of mitigating and reducing risk in food safety is resulting in a demand for ISO 21469 certification for incidental contact lubricant manufacturers. With the ever-increasing need to limit the introduction of chemical and physical contaminants in the meat and poultry processing environments, manufacturers are looking for lubricants that support quality programs and comply with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) requirements and other food safety strategies. Lubricant manufacturers want to demonstrate the safety of their products to processors and facility managers, and in order to do so, they are willing to evaluate the manufacturing process and storage requirements for the lubricants they are selling. This results in lubricant manufacturers implementing an internationally recognized certification — ISO 21469.
Certification to ISO 21469 is an added value for lubricants and also allows processors to know the product meets hygiene requirements for its formulation, manufacture, use and handling throughout its entire life cycle. ISO 21469 certified lubricants can help processors reduce the risk of contamination in their facilities and supply chain in part because of the strict outline in the standard. Like product registration, ISO 21469 ensures lubricant ingredients are safer in the event of incidental food contact. The certification process also reviews the level of quality control applied to the formulation, manufacturing, distribution and storage of the lubricant to ensure it complies with the highest standards of hygiene.
- Klüber Lubrication took a number of steps to meet the ISO 21469 standard – including a hygiene strategy that takes into account any chemical risks, physical risks and biological risks associated with the intended use of the lubricant.
- End-users benefit from assurance through third-party process audits and product analysis that the ISO 21469-compliant lubricants will consistently meet food safety requirements.
Since ISO 21469 is a voluntary standard, it is not required that a manufacturer of food-grade lubricants goes through this process; in fact, many have yet to do so. NSF continues to provide the conventional H1, H2 and H3 designations for food-grade lubricants; and indeed, both ISO 21469 certification and H1 registration can be held by the same lubricant.
So, what’s the benefit of ISO 21469? Both the NSF H1 and ISO 21469 designations help to ensure that the ingredients in any lubricant are “safe” in the event of incidental food contact. But with ISO 21469, there’s an added layer of oversight that looks not just at the makeup of a given product but the manufacturing process and level of quality control applied to the formulation, manufacturing, distribution and storage of the lubricants.
Because of this, it’s likely that manufacturers of food-grade lubricants will continue to strive to attain ISO 21469 certification as an added measure of comfort to both the end-users of food-grade lubricants and, most importantly, to all consumers!
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