Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
UK: Lubricating the Halal Food Market
2025-05-15
Focus on the role of food-safe lubricants in halal food production and ensure machines are contamination-free and fully functional.
The growing halal food market means factory managers need to focus on more issues, such as adjusting production lines, potential sources of contamination, and selecting food-grade lubricants for equipment and machinery.
This demand can be attributed in part to the growth of the Muslim population, which currently stands at approximately18Furthermore, many non-Muslim consumers choose to purchase halal products as part of a lifestyle that seeks healthy eating and compliant foods.
The problem is that not all factories are able to keep up with the flexible demands of halal food.
Because food and beverages are not halal if they contain pork, blood, rotten meat or alcohol, all preparation and handling areas must eliminate the risk of contamination.
Therefore, from slaughtering, processing, to production and packaging, the entire process has strict requirements on machinery and equipment.
As in all food production environments, the frequent customization of large batches and changes to production lines can lead to premature failure of mechanical components such as gearboxes and bearings.
One of the main causes of equipment failure is poor lubrication.
To make matters worse, in the food and beverage industry, food-grade lubricants are required.
This means they need to meet industry standardsNSF H1Regulations limit the amount of accidental exposure that could result in trace amounts, usually to within 10 parts per million. Any amount outside that range is considered unsafe.
Most commercially available food-grade greases and oils sacrifice performance to meet this safety standard. When these lubricants are exposed to high loads, high temperatures, and contaminants such as water, acids, and particulates, they quickly break down and promote the growth of microorganisms, becoming a dangerous source of food contamination.
To ensure this doesn't happen, plant managers need to take a methodical approach to lubricant maintenance. Before treating food machinery with the correct lubricant, it's important to effectively clean and remove the used lubricant.
To help mechanical maintenance engineers,NCHEurope has developed a cleaning solution called a flushing agent. This transmission cleaner can dissolve gear oil deposits, neutralize acids, clean metal surfaces, and prepare the oil for the next use.
Once the gearbox is ready, engineers can useNCHEuropean top blendCS FG, a calcium sulfonate food-grade gear lubricant that contains a sticky polymer that allows it to adhere to metal surfaces and resist being washed away by high-temperature steam and condensate used in food production.
Some equipment, such as bearings, require grease instead of oil.NCHEurope has also developed aK Plex WhiteLike the adhesive polymer, it also contains shock load reducers and extreme pressure agents to cushion shocks and reduce stress, vibration and oscillation under heavy loads.
As the global halal food market continues to grow, factory managers can no longer rely on traditional methods.
By closely monitoring maintenance cycles, downtime and lubricants, they can successfully adapt to the changing demands of the Halal market.