Food Grade Compressed Air Code of Practice – Scope
Author : Richard Moore Parker Hannifin
26 October 2012
The Code of Practice references complimentary international standards for air purity, gives recommendations on installation, testing and maintenance of compressed air systems, but most importantly, defines a minimum acceptable purity (quality) for compressed air used in the beverage and bottli
• The Code of Practice can be applied to the use of compressed air in all beverage manufacturing and bottling facilities, however it does not cover the quality of other gases used e.g. CO2 or nitrogen as these are often covered by other standards.
• Complying with the Code of Practice in the United Kingdom is not mandatory and not required by law, however following the Code of Practice allows a company to show due diligence should a ‘quality incident’ reach a court of law.
• Compliance with the Code of Practice is becoming a requirement of major UK retailers with beverage manufacturers and bottlers being asked to show compliance with the Code of Practice if they wish to remain a supplier, or prior to being accepted as a supplier.
• The Code of Practice can also be applied to ingredient suppliers should they use compressed air in their manufacturing, transportation or packaging processes.
• Manufacturers and suppliers located outside of the United Kingdom may also be required to show compliance with the Code of Practice, should their produce be sold to retailers in the UK.
• The Code of Practice may also be adopted in other countries in the absence of any local standards or legislation. This will allow manufacturers to ‘show duty of care’ should a quality incident arise.