WELDING STAINLESS-STEEL TO MEET HYGIENIC REQUIREMENTS

Inadequate welding can compromise product safety in an otherwise hygienically designed food-processing plant. This paper summarizes guidelines prepared by the Design Principles subgroup of the European Hygienic Equipment Design Group (EHEDG) to increase awareness of the importance of and techniques required to ensure the production of hygienically acceptable welds. This is the tenth in a series of articles featuring the EHEDG to be published in Trends in Food Science & Technology. The EHEDG is an independent consortium formed to develop guidelines and test methods for the safe and hygienic processing of food. The group includes representatives from research institutes, the food industry, equipment manufacturers and government organizations in Europe.