Habasit Expert Blog Expert Blog

All belt material intended to come into contact with food must meet certain EU requirements. Habasit stays informed of all current protocols concerning food conveyor and processing belts.

In today’s blog, I will review a few of the current regulations.

What are the EU regulations?

The EU regulations apply to all belt material intended to come into contact with food. This may include fabric belts, plastic modular belts, plastic chains or timing belts. There are three relevant documents for companies active in the food industry:

Framework 

European regulation EC no. 1935/2004 specifies definitions, restrictions, and requirements for e.g. general safety and materials traceability. It requires any conveyor belt supplier of the food industry to provide customers with a Declaration of Compliance. A Declaration of Compliance states the intended conditions for the use of the materials, and contains all the information necessary to identify the materials, as well as the manufacturer.

Good manufacturing practice

Manufacturing of materials and products intended to come into contact with food must comply with the regulation on Good Manufacturing Practice, EC no. 2023/2006. This regulation requires the manufacturer to maintain a quality safety and control system.

Plastics regulation

EU No 10/2011, commonly referred to as the Plastics Regulation, informs on measures for the introduction of plastic materials. It concerns migration examination, such as the requirement to assess the substances that the plastic is made out of, and if these substances are later emitted by the plastic, as well as which supporting documents are required.

Habasit knows the rules

Habasit actively maintains a good manufacturing practice in the production and assembly of our food conveyor belts. Only materials that meet the current EU regulations are used in our food conveyor belts. Our product sheets clearly state whether or not the materials are intended to come into contact with food.

Our research and development teams, as well as our manufacturing team, are responsible for the continuous awareness and provision of changing regulations so that we always stay informed. Food conveyor belts by Habasit generally also comply with the American regulatory requirements by the FDA and USDA.

Did you know that you can download certificates for all our food belt on our website?

Find everything you need on our website or contact us by phone or email! We look forward to hearing from you.