CABLES AND THE WORLD OF FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

Juice Production plant

The food and beverage processing industry is one of the most regulated, and maintaining hygiene standards is crucial. This requires that production facilities should be designed according to the principles of hygienic design with equipment and machines for the food and beverage industry being required to be sanitary, easy to clean, and safe for food contact.

The strict hygiene and cleanliness requirements in this segment also apply to the electrical components as majority of the equipment need electrical connections. This has lead to the development of complex requirements for cables and accessories in the food and beverage industry.

Choosing suitable cables and components and their proper use can have direct impacts on machine productivity, the safety of staff and the final product quality. It may be asked how selection of electrical cables affects the final product quality. To give a drastic example, if unsuitable cable is used the outer sheath maybe corroded by cleaning agents and this may result in machine downtime and with most products in the industry being perishable the quality reduces with every passing moment that they are not properly processed and packaged.

Industrial food production is becoming ever more complex and the industry must balance between regulations created to protect food quality, food safety and standard on cable and components used in the industry. Some of industrial practices are self regulated by industrial standards which is common in Europe.

CABLE REQUIREMENTS

1. Chemical Resistant

They must be resistance to aggressive industrial cleaning and alkali agents which are commonly used during cleaning processes

2. Sanitation and washdown resistance

The cables must be easy to clean and safe for food contact. In addition the cables must be able to withstand repeated washdown. If the cable cannot withstand frequent washdown cycles, the sheath may become degraded leading to cable failure.

3. Flame retardancy

Most industrial cables must contain flame retardants so as to reduce the possible spread of fire. However most of the flame retardants and additives used in standard industrial cables are considered unsafe and this places a more stringent requirement for cables to be used in food processing.

4. Flexibility

Flexibility is important because many cables are routed in sections of conduit for additional protection.

REQUIREMENTS TO BALANCE

The above requirements can be difficult to achieve in cable production for there are several factors such as choice of materials, overall production process of the cable.