What is Involved in the NSF Certification Process?
Monroe Kitchen Equipment is dedicated to working with customers to bring their custom kitchen equipment products to life. When it comes to manufacturing custom kitchen products or products involved in food processing, quality and safety processes are a top priority. Monroe Kitchen Equipment is proud to maintain an NSF certification to guarantee our custom kitchen products are safe for use and that our processes and facilities meet industry compliance requirements.
What is an NSF Certification?
The NSF is the National Sanitation Foundation and is the organization that regulates and certifies food equipment for use, ensuring it meets food safety and environmental health requirements set by the FDA. The NSF outlines strict guidelines for material quality where food, beverage, and water can come into contact. These guidelines ensure all steps through the manufacturing process (including product design, construction, and performance) and the materials used adhere to sanitation standards and food protection steps for the materials used. Kitchen equipment used in restaurant and commercial kitchens needs to be NSF certified or listed to ensure they remain up to code. Maintaining an NSF certification is an essential step for kitchen equipment or food preparation manufacturers.How to Become NSF Certified?
NSF Certification is a continual process. Organizations and companies that wish to receive and maintain their NSF Certification status have annual NSF Inspector visits to their facilities who check for discrepancies, review certifications for the materials used, inspect manufacturing sites, and test products to ensure they meet NSF and industry health and safety standards. If a food preparation or kitchen product fails NSF inspection, the NSF will take steps to recall the product certification and notify the public of the change.
Now, NSF tests can be taken online with an accompanying in-person inspection to complete the NSF Re-certification process. The inspector investigates all products claiming to be NSF compliant, rigorously testing them. Products that pass inspection can be labeled as “NSF Certified” or “NSF Listed” and can bear the verified NSF certification mark to showcase that status to customers.
At Monroe Kitchen Equipment, we have a dedicated leader who organizes our NSF certification efforts and actions. He provides the inspector with certifications for the stainless steel that we purchase for our custom kitchen products, proving the quality and composition of our materials. He also works with the inspector during facility inspections to ensure all products meet expectations. Any product that deals with or is near water, must be NSF certified. However, not all of our kitchen equipment is NSF certified because we have the capabilities to make a wide range of equipment that does not require it. We have specific labels that we purchase from the NSF and we only label the products that are NSF approved with these labels.
Monroe Kitchen Equipment’s NSF Commitment
Monroe Kitchen Equipment specializes in manufacturing custom stainless steel kitchen equipment and products including cabinets, tables, accessories, and other custom projects. We work with only the highest grade stainless steel to ensure your final product meets NSF standards for your restaurant, food production space, cafeteria, or food preparation and service facility. We adhere to strict manufacturing processes and quality standards, while customizing your design to meet your unique needs. The team at Monroe Kitchen Equipment are experts in our industry and take the utmost care to ensure the materials we use and our manufacturing processes continually meet rigorous NSF standards, ensuring your final kitchen equipment meets all industry standards and the health and safety of your team and your customers are protected.
