Learn More About the Processes for Food-Grade Certifications

Food-grade certifications may not seem important for an industrial cleaning product at first blush. However, the vast majority of cleaning products used to clean restaurant equipment need to be produced within stringent guidelines to achieve Kosher and Halal standards.

Additionally, EPA-registered facilities have satisfied a high standard of regulatory hurdles. When a facility has proven it can comply with and understands those regulatory requirements involved in manufacturing EPA products, it speaks to a demanding level of sophistication and technical capabilities.

Receiving the most comprehensive verification for manufacturers is a painstaking and costly process. You need to work with a manufacturer that not only has those certifications, but also works with suppliers within the industry that produce ingredients in line with Kosher and Halal practices.  

What are these varying certifications and why do they matter for a liquid cleaning product contract manufacturer?

EPA-Registered Manufacturing Facilities: An Overview

Becoming EPA-registered and certified signals the company’s manufacturing practices conform to strict regulatory requirements.  Those can include: 

  • Testing procedures and protocols
  • Record-keeping processes
  • Adherence to hazardous waste disposal

Today, most consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact of the products they purchase. EPA-certified labeling shows your customers (both retail and wholesale) that your products are adhering to clean air, water, and disposal practices, including all the ingredients and packaging that you source. 

Kosher and Halal Certifications for Commercial Cleaning Products

Cleaning products that come into contact with food surfaces oftentimes require more stringent certifications than typical surface cleaning products.  Working with a supplier that has the ability to test and validate Kosher or Halal claims is important. Not all suppliers are equal in this regard. 

Many cleaning products include ingredients like glycerine, which is an byproduct of certain lipids. To become Kosher or Halal certified, that glycerine cannot be derived from animal fat (especially pork or cattle). Additionally, the vegetable glycerine must be produced within a facility that’s also been Kosher and Halal certified. 

What Goes Into the Halal Certification Process?

Halal is an Arabic term that roughly translates to “lawful.” In the Muslim tradition, foods that are considered “haram” (harmful) are not allowed. Those foods include:

  • Pork products and derivatives
  • Gelatin (unless derived from fish)
  • Lard
  • Carnivorous (meat-eating) animals like dogs, cats, or bears
  • Meat or byproducts derived from animals not raised within Halal guidelines

For any cleaning product to achieve this level of scrutiny, the manufacturing facility must purchase all ingredients from a Halal-certified provider. Broadly speaking, here are the steps to becoming Halal certified:

  • Application
  • Inspection
  • Registration
  • Certification of products and ingredients
  • Process and payment of certification fees 

To retain Halal certification, the facility must also conform to a monitoring schedule with the Halal Food Council

How Does a Facility Become Kosher Certified?

Kosher (“pure” or “clean” in Hebrew) similarly has its roots in Hebraic traditions. That tradition (defined within the Torah) forbids religious Jews from eating any food from a cloven animal (mainly pork). There are also restrictions and observations for animal husbandry and slaughter. Food processing plants are inspected to verify Kosher standards are followed, including slaughtering practices that do not cause pain to an animal. 

A Kosher certificate signifies the facility has been approved by a rabbinic agency which inspects all product ingredients, machinery, and production processes “to ensure all ingredients, derivatives, tools and machinery have no trace of non kosher substances,” per the Kosher Alliance.

Questions and internal processes that are examined throughout the certification application include: 

  • Review of production processes
  • Source of all ingredients and processing 
  • Kosher certification from ingredient suppliers
  • Letters of information from contract manufacturers about their manufacturing services and the nature of the products produced 
  • Information about all product packaging 
  • Records of Kosher certifications for your own company and why it was discontinued (if applicable)

Experienced rabbis participate in the thorough vetting process, which sometimes includes an onsite feasibility study as defined and outlined by the Kosher Alliance. WIth millions of Kosher consumers in the US, food-grade standards for cleaning products are increasingly sought especially for restaurant equipment (a McDonald’s grill is a good example). 

Talk to PCI About Our EPA, Kosher, and Halal Certifications

PCI has satisfied the rigorous and costly Halal, Kosher, and EPA certification processes. If your cleaning products need to meet those rigid labeling requirements, the internal team at PCI can work with you.  

To ensure that your products can achieve or retain Kosher, Halal, and EPA labeling and to learn more about our clean air and water procedures, reach out to a member of our team today.