Material Handling

Food Grade Hose – Ensuring the Safety of Consumers

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There are many factors to keep in mind when using ducting products for food and pharmaceutical applications. The food and drug administration has a strict set of guidelines that must be followed to allow the operation of work within these specific fields. These guidelines are in place in order to protect the health and safety of those working with the applications and the people who will eventually eat, drink, or use the products produced with the ducting materials. FDA approved hose products are made of materials that are known to be made of chemicals that will not be harmful to people and are safe for consumption. By using food grade hose products in your food and drug material handling and HVAC systems, you are ensuring the safety of both your customers by performing safe business practices.

It is essential to use FDA approved duct products for pharmaceutical HVAC systems. The FDA closely supervises pharmaceutical operations to ensure that they are practicing current good manufacturing processes. The FDA’s regulations require that all pharmaceutical applications take proactive steps to guarantee that their products are safe for all consumers. These regulations are enforced for manufacturers, processors, and packagers of pharmaceutical products. One of the central goals of the FDA is to ensure that pharmaceuticals are produced in a clean environment with minimal risk of contamination to the consumer.

“PVC Flexduct Light-Duty Clear”

$66.25$1,819.00
Lead Time 4-6 Weeks Temperature Range: -20°F to +160°F Sizes I.D. (in.): 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, & 18

“PE Flex Translucent”

$152.25$518.50
Lead Time 4-6 Weeks Some Sizes Out of Stock Temperature Range: -40°F to +140°F Sizes I.D. (in.): 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, & 4

“Urethane Flex Light-Duty”

$152.88$1,977.00
Temperature Range: -65°F to +225°F Sizes I.D. (in.): 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, & 18

“Thermoplastic Flex White”

$190.50$1,570.00
Lead Time 4-6 Weeks Temperature Range: -40°F to +250°F Sizes I.D. (in.): 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, & 12

Food grade hose HVAC systems have four main purposes: to control airborne particles, maintain room pressure, maintain space moisture, and to stabilize the temperature of the environment. To prevent contamination from outside sources, it is important to keep the environment of pharmaceutical work clean from outside contaminates. This can be accomplished by using FDA approved duct products to provide more air to the clean environment where the application is performed so that air flows out of the clean room rather than potentially contaminated air coming into the room. To ensure the quality of the pharmaceuticals, it is essential that the humidity and temperature of the room be maintained at acceptable levels. If a room is too hot or there is too much moisture in the air, there is a risk that harmful microbial contaminants can grow within the product and workers.

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In addition to maintaining a suitable work environment, FDA approved hose products are used for various separation processes in pharmaceutical applications. Food grade hose products are necessary for extraction, decanting, centrifugation, filtration and the transportation of the pharmaceutical materials. Each of these processes involves direct contact between the hose and the pharmaceutical materials. Because of this direct contact, the FDA requires the hose to be made of materials that have been approved for food and drug application use. It is also important to use the right type of hose to prevent the hose material from being stripped by the chemicals and contaminating the pharmaceuticals.

FDA approved hose products are also necessary for applications where hoses will be working in direct contact with food. It is important to use approved hoses when transferring water, juices, grains, and other consumable materials because failure to do so can cause hose material to be stripped from the hose and later be consumed which can cause serious illness. Fortunately, there are a large variety of products designed to meet the diverse needs presented when working directly with food and pharmaceutical applications.

We offer food grade hoses made of several different materials such as acrylic, polyester, polyethylene, PVC, polyurethane, and thermoplastic. Each of these products has their own applicable benefits and is approved by the FDA for work in food and drug applications. Our acrylic coated polyester FDA approved hose products are designed to work within a wide temperature range and are ideal for work within “clean rooms”, working to transport air, dust, and fumes out of an environment to keep the materials within a room from becoming contaminated. Our polyethylene hoses are made for the transportation of dust and materials and are constructed of translucent materials. The translucent construction of the hose is excellent for the transportation of materials because it allows you to easily see the materials flowing through the ducting, making it easy to identify and rectify any clogs that may form with the hose.

Our FDA approved duct PVC products are available in a large variety of sizes and colors and feature great flexibility, as well as, excellent chemical and moisture resistance. Polyurethane hoses are ideal for applications where abrasion is an issue and where static electricity is a concern. The polyurethane is available in a conductive material that will reduce the static buildup when transferring materials through the hose. This product’s great abrasion resistance and high tear strength make it extremely durable and reliable. The thermoplastic rubber ducting is our most heat resistant food grade hose. Capable of withstanding intermittent temperatures as high as 325 degrees Fahrenheit, this product is perfect for pharmaceutical applications involving the transfer of high temperature materials.

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The FDA requires that plastics used in food and drug applications be made from plastics of a greater purity than the plastics used for other applications. This means that the FDA requires that the plastic does not contain dyes or recycled plastics that would be harmful if consumed by people. An important factor to be aware of is that you must use the proper FDA approved duct for your application because some materials that feature acidity or alcohol could cause some of the plastic materials to leak into the product being transferred through the ducting.

For example, Polyethylene’s excellent protective barriers are great for transferring acidic juices, but these abrasive fluids could strip away the outer layers of a PVC hose. To ensure the safety of consumers and employees, it is essential to use FDA approved hose products in food and drug applications. The FDA has strict guidelines and closely supervises pharmaceutical facilities to ensure the use FDA approved duct products. Failure to use approved materials can result in harm to employees and consumers and closure of an operating facility. It is imperative to use FDA approved materials in your food and pharmaceutical operations to maintain an efficient operating environment and to provide high quality products that meet the health and safety standards that both consumers and government regulations demand.