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FOOD AND BEVERAGE · HYGIENE

What Is EHEDG?

EHEDG, the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group, is a consortium of equipment makers, food producers, research institutes and public health bodies, founded in 1989. It publishes guidelines on hygienic design for food processing equipment and certifies equipment designs that pass its cleanability tests.

01

The Short Answer

EHEDG brings together the people who build, use and regulate food processing equipment to agree how that equipment should be designed so it can be cleaned completely. Its guideline documents are the main European reference for hygienic design, alongside 3-A Sanitary Standards and NSF in North America.

02

What EHEDG Guidelines Cover

The guidelines deal with materials, surface finish, geometry, drainability, seals, fasteners and installation. Most were written for product-contact equipment such as valves, pumps and fillers, but the same principles are applied to everything in the splash zone around them.

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    Cleanable materials Corrosion resistant, non-absorbent and compatible with the cleaning chemicals used.
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    Smooth surfaces No pits, scratches or rough welds where soil can settle.
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    No crevices or dead spaces Rounded internal corners and no gaps between parts.
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    Self-draining shapes Water and cleaning solution run off rather than pooling.
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    Hygienic seals and fasteners Seals that sit flush and fixings with no exposed threads.
03

EHEDG and Washdown Computers

EHEDG certification applies to a specific equipment design that has been tested, so it is worth checking the datasheet rather than assuming it. For HMIs and displays, ask for the design features the guidelines describe: a flush front, a stainless steel housing, fanless cooling, sealed M12 connectors and an IP69K rating. Our guide to hygienic design for washdown computers covers each one.