SKF has introduced a new series of food industry compliant bearings, which helps to minimize the risk of food adulteration and subsequent product recalls. Its new range of SKF Food Line stainless steel deep groove ball bearings (VP311) meets two key requirements of the food industry:

•  Seals made from synthetic rubber compliant with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as European Community (EC) requirements *, coloured blue for optical detectability, should they be damaged.

•  High quality grease, suitable for typical food and beverage application conditions registered as NSF as category H1**

The Food Line family includes 19 different standard sizes of deep groove ball bearings from SKF’s extensive range, in diameters ranging from 8 to 40mm.

“Both the blue seal and the lubricant were developed for use in food and beverage applications,” says David Oliver, SKF Europe Industry Manager Food and Beverage. “The overall bearing meets the highest standards of food management systems and regulations. This offer is unique to SKF, none of our competitors can offer the full package of food grade grease, plus FDA and EC approved blue coloured sealing in their stainless steel deep groove ball bearings.”

Food safety management systems such as HACCP are placing greater importance on safe food production. This means that components used in production should be either food-safe or detectable. Many food product recalls are initiated due to the possible presence of hard or sharp objects so food safety and detectability are high priorities for any components operating close to the food stream. The same is true of lubricants, for this reason, food-grade lubricants are increasingly used on a plant-wide basis to prevent the chance of applying a non-food grease to a critical part.

SKF’s stainless steel deep groove ball bearings offer high resistance to corrosion, so that they can withstand the aggressive washdown regimes that are necessary in the food industry. The special seal enhances this, helping to retain lubricant and prevent ingress of wash down fluid.

* FDA 21CFR section 177.2600  ‘Rubber articles intended for repeated use’  in producing, manufacturing , packing processing, preparing, treating, packaging, transporting or holding food.

EC conformity to the overall migration requirements of the German BfR recommendation XXI for category 3 materials

** Lubricant registered by NSF as category H1 (lubricant acceptable with incidental food contact for use in and around food processing areas). The NSF registration confirms it fulfils the requirements listed in the US Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines under 21 CFR section 178.3570.