Hygienic Design is a process, not a product. It’s the sum of conscious decisions made by architects, food technologists, quality managers, and mechanical designers.
In the food industry, the term Hygienic Design is often associated with stainless steel machinery: easy to wash, free of crevices, and designed for rapid sanitation. But the truth is, Hygienic Design neither starts nor ends with equipment. It is the final link in a much longer chain one that begins with the facility itself.
Designing a plant according to Hygienic Design principles means considering the entire production ecosystem: from the building structure to the flow of raw materials, from personnel movement to cleaning and maintenance procedures. It’s a comprehensive, proactive approach to contamination prevention aimed at ensuring safety, efficiency, and sustainability. It all begins with the layout of the building.
The position relative to the external environment, the distance from natural sources of contamination, floor inclinations for proper drainage, and adequate thermal insulation are all critical. Every aspect contributes to limiting the entry of pests and pathogens, protecting products from the earliest stages. Even the choice of construction materials and finishes plays an important role in ease of cleaning and long-term durability. Next, it’s essential to define internal pathways clearly.
Ingredients must move through the facility according to a logic that prevents cross-contamination, with physical barriers and strict protocols between zones with different hygiene risk levels. The same applies to operators: transitions between areas must follow defined procedures to avoid the inadvertent introduction of bacteria, allergens, or residues. In many cases, high-risk areas must be physically separated from low-risk ones, with controlled access and mandatory clothing changes.
MH solutions for primary packaging
In many no-food settings hygiene rules are comparable to those in human food processing. Cooking stages offer a degree of tolerance, as high temperatures eliminate bacterial loads. But it’s in primary packaging, where the finished product and vulnerable, that maximum protection is needed. This is the core of hygienic design. Even post-packaging, residual moisture must be managed to avoid mold infestation or aesthetic damage to the packaging.
Only at this stage do machines come into play not just for conveying or dosing, but for doing so without becoming a source of contamination. Washable surfaces, open frames, tool-free disassembly, food grade certified chains, and detergent resistant materials are not optional features, but essential requirements for preserving the integrity of the process. Operating conditions also matter. A well-designed machine placed in a hard-to-reach location may require sturdier solutions, while ground-level installations benefit from lighter and more accessible structures.
Washing frequency, water management, environmental impact, and operational costs all depend directly on the quality of the initial project. Design flaws often lead to costly modifications or the compromises that reduce efficiency. Underestimating these aspects often leads to frequent cleaning cycles, excessive use of water and chemicals, and increased costs. Not to mention the reputational risks or product recalls that can arise from contamination reaching the end consumer. In conclusion, Hygienic Design is a process, not a product.
It’s the sum of conscious decisions made by architects, food technologists, quality managers, and mechanical designers. And only when all these layers are aligned can a truly safe production line be achieved. M.H. Material Handling design our conveyors with these principles in mind every day. But it knows that her work has real value only when integrated into a coherent and well-designed system. “That’s why we like to say: Hygienic Design doesn’t start with our conveyor, but it can finish with it”.
