H1 Food Grade Lubricant in NSF Registration List

Are you looking for a food grade lubricant to lubricate gaskets, taps and o-rings? When a lubricant supplier recommends a product to you, you might want a proof that it is certified.

For industries related to food processing and drinking water systems, greases and lubricants are as much needed as for other industries to provide protection against corrosion, friction, oxidation and wear. Since these greases and lubricants would inevitably come in contact with food, it is essential to make sure they do not cause hazards and would not contaminate food and drinking water.

Although not every country has strict and definite regulations regarding food grade lubricant, many lubricant manufacturers adhere to the standards and regulations of the United States, which mainly involve (but are not limited to) the Guidelines of Security Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Section 178.3570, commonly called 21 CFR.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has originally established three food grade designations for grease lubricants: H1, H2 and H3. H1 lubricants are the lubricants that have incidental contact with food. They are commonly used in food-processing industries where there is possibility of incidental food contact, such as the lubricants used in baking ovens and in taps.

H2 lubricants are the food grade lubricants used on equipment and machine parts where there is no possibility of contact with food. H3 lubricants are soluable oils, typically edible oils. They are applied to prevent rust on hooks, trolleys and similar machine parts.

In 1999, NSF International, a non-for-profit public health organization took over the responsibility of evaluating food grade lubricants from USDA. NSF launched a registration and listing program for food grade lubricants, which is now an internationally recognized resource for evaluating, registering and listing food grade lubricants.

It should be noted that the registration does not include lubricant testing. The approval is based primarily on a review of the formulation ingredients of lubricants. Lubricant manufacturers have to prove that all the ingredients in the formulation were allowable substances as listed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in accordance with the 21 CFR Section 178.3570.

In practice, how do we know that a lubricant product is NSF certified? One can search the NSF online database for certification information: http://info.nsf.org/usda/psnclistings.asp.

Select “H1. Lubricants with incidental contact” at “Nonfood Categories” and enter the company name of the grease supplier. All H1 class products from this supplier would come out. Or, enter the registration number of a specific product. Click on a specific product, you will be linked to the certification letter. There are currently more than 700 food grade lubricant manufacturers and more than 7,700 H1 class products registered in the NSF online listing.

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