The Who, What, Where & Why of EHEDG

With a remit to help improve hygienic engineering and design in all aspects of food manufacture, and a global reach that spans more than 55 countries, EHEDG is undoubtedly a major force for good within the food industry. Here Eric Partington from the Nickel Institute provides a fast-facts guide to the organisation and explains why it should be on every UK food producer's radar. Who or what is EHEDG? EHEDG (The European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) is a consortium of equipment manufacturers, food industries, leading research institutes and public health authorities which collaborate to promote and improve food hygiene during every stage of food manufacture and processing. What does EHEDG do? EHEDG was set up to provide best practice guidance on hygienic engineering and design for food equipment manufactured in or imported into Europe. Its network of experts disseminates knowledge on the design, installation and cleanability of components and also helps to specify best practices for hygienic operations, supply and maintenance. So how does EHEDG help the food industry? EHEDG supports the industry in five key ways: It provides engineering guidance and advice based on the very latest academic research and best practice. It creates a central, internationally-recognised source of excellence on hygienic engineering and provides networking opportunities to help people establish global contacts. Activities are supported by EHEDG Regional Sections operating in 22 countries. It develops test procedures for the certification of equipment which is undertaken in one of the seven authorised institutes and organisations in Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the USA. EHEDG certification sets recognised quality standards for manufacturers which are aiming to design equipment that meets the highest hygienic standards. It delivers high-level training based on material developed by recognised industry experts. It holds several advanced training courses worldwide every year. It contributes to European legislation and influences regulatory bodies by demonstrating practically how to follow existing requirements and standards. EHEDG is an invaluable source of guidance and advice. At any one time it has more than 350 experts worldwide developing new Technical Guidelines or updating existing ones. To date it has published more than 40 of these on subjects as diverse as the principles of hygienic drainage, air handling and food-grade lubricants. Why do we need EHEDG? Micro-organisms have always been the biggest risk to food hygiene but recent changes in the global food industry ─ like the increasing demand for pre-prepared food and a reduction in the use of preservatives ─ mean that hygienic design is now more important than ever before. Yet we still see many flaws in factory and equipment design. In addition, cleaning poorly-designed equipment properly requires more energy, time and detergent and produces more waste water so, over time, it's more expensive to operate than buying hygienically-designed equipment at the outset. By using the knowledge of leading equipment manufacturers, food processors and renowned research institutes, and working with them to develop best practices, EHEDG is in a unique position to drive improvements in industry standards and ultimately to help the entire industry minimise the risk of serious food contamination problems. So how can UK companies get involved? We're working with ACO Building Drainage to set up a UK Regional Section of EHEDG. To get involved contact abdmarketing@aco.co.uk