A Food Grade lubricant is one that is safe to use in facilities producing food and beverages. But what are the regulatory and industry requirements that make a lubricant a Food Grade lubricant? Learn more in Clarion Lubricants Product Manager Benjamin A. Briseño’s webinar, “What is a Food Grade Lubricant?”

1. WHAT IS A FOOD
GRADE LUBRICANT?
Benjamin A. Briseño,
Product Manager

2. What is a food grade lubricant?
• A lubricant that is safe to use in facilities
producing food, beverages but….
• Who or what makes sure the lubricant is safe?
– How is safe defined?
• Are all lubricants that are called food grade designed for all
applications?
• There are regulatory and industry requirements
that answer these questions
• Classifications driven by intended use.

3. Classification driven by intended uses
Direct Food Contact
Incidental Contact
No contact

4. NSF International
• Proprietary Substances and Nonfood
Compounds Registration and Listing Program
• Previous USDA review requirements captured
NSF H1 incidental food contact lubricants
NSF H2 no food contact lubricants
NSF H3 soluble oils for rust prevention
NSF 3H direct food contact release agents

5. Direct Food Contact Oils
• Highest level of purity requirement
– FDA CFR 172.878
– NSF 3H
– USP and NF
• Some application examples
– Release agent
– Grain dust control
– Coating, sealant, polishing
– Floats

6. Incidental food contact lubricants
• Defined by FDA CFR 178.3570
– NSF H1
• Contact concentration limited
– 10 ppm maximum contaminant

7. No Food Contact Lubricants
• NSF H2
– Lubricants with no possibility of food contact
• Conventional lubricants fall in this category
– An example would be the motor oil used in the forklift of a food
processing facility warehouse

8. Higher classification lubes can be used in some
lower classification uses but not vice versa
Direct
Food
Contact
Incidental
Contact
No contact

9. What’s needed in a food grade lubricant?
• Performance requirements
– Anti-wear
– Rust and corrosion protection
– Contaminant resistant
• Water washout
• Dust, juices, sugars, etc.
• Additional physical requirements
– Tasteless
– Odorless
– Inert
– Allergen free

10. What’s different in a food grade lubricant?
• Additives used to formulate NSF H1 maintenance
lubricants such as gear oils, greases, hydraulic
oils are limited.
– Must meet NSF additive requirements (NSF HX-1)
• Technology continues to improve
– Additive improvements
– Use of chemical synthetic base stocks
• Offer high and low temperature performance enhancement
• Offer extended service life

11. Base
Fluid
Additive
System
Incidental
Contact
Food
Grade Fluid
Lubricant
• Synthetics (PAO,
PAG, Esters)
• Vegetable oils
• White Mineral Oils
• Limited to NSF
HX-1 additives

12. Food Grade
Fluid Lube
Component
Thickener
System
Incidental
Contact
Food
Grade
Grease
• Synthetics (PAO,
PAG, Esters)
• White Mineral Oils
• Vegetable oils
• NSF HX-1 additives
• Certain thickeners
are not
acceptable(Lithium)

13. Market
Available
Food Grade
Machinery
Lubes
High
Temperature
Greases
Water
Resistant
Greases
Oven Chain
Lubricants
Air
Compressor
Lubricants
Gear
Lubricants
Synthetic
Lubricants
Refrigeration
Compressor
Lubricants
Hydraulic
Fluids
Fire
Resistant
Fluids
Vacuum
Pump Lube

14. Food Safety Modernization Act
• Signed into law January 2011
• Section 103 of FSMA
– Includes hazard analysis and risk based preventative
controls.
– Facilities will be expected to evaluate their process to
identify known or reasonably foreseeable hazards that
could affect food safety and develop preventive
controls to minimize or prevent these hazards.

15. Hazard Analyses and Critical Control Points
(HACCP)
• Systematic process system to identify, evaluate and
manage food safety hazards in processing,
packaging, and transportation
The seven HACCP principles:
(1) hazard analysis (2) critical control point identification
(3) establishment of critical limits (4) monitoring procedures
(5) corrective actions (6) record keeping
(7) verification procedures

16. THANK YOU
Visit ClarionFoodSafety.com to
download your copy of Clarion’s
Plant Lubrication FSMA Fact Sheet

17. WHAT IS A FOOD
GRADE LUBRICANT?
Benjamin A. Briseño,
Product Manager