Hygiene Matters: Choosing Bearings for Food Environments
Because when it comes to hygiene for food bearings, a spotless floor means nothing if your bearings are leaking grease behind the scenes.
Clean Enough? Not Even Close.
In food production, hygiene isn’t optional – it’s non-negotiable. You can scrub the floors, polish the steel tables, and line staff up in hairnets, but if your bearings are leaking grease or harbouring bacteria, you’re inviting risk into every product batch. Let’s break down why hygienic bearings matter and how the right spec can save your audit scores and your reputation.
Inside your machinery.
Specifically? In your bearings.
Bearings might be small, but the wrong ones can undermine your cleaning schedule, your audit scores, and — worst case — your product integrity. So, let’s talk about why choosing the right bearings matters just as much as the right detergent.
Want the full technical breakdown? Read: The Complete Guide to Bearings in Food Production.
The Invisible Hygiene Risk in Every Food Factory
Bearings are used in almost every moving part on the production line — mixers, conveyors, bottling machines, ovens, slicers. The problem? Many of them simply weren’t designed with hygiene in mind.
Standard industrial bearings:
- Have exposed metal surfaces that corrode over time.
- Use grease that’s toxic in food contact situations.
- Feature housing designs that trap moisture, fats, and debris
- Can leak, flake, and break down under regular washdown pressure.
In other words: they’re ticking contamination time bombs in the middle of your line.
What Makes a Bearing Hygienic?
Let’s break it down. A hygienic bearing is one that’s built to survive the realities of a food processing environment — and protect your product while doing it.
Here’s what sets them apart:
Stainless Steel Components
No rust. No peeling. No risk of metal contamination.
Most food-safe bearings use 304 or 440-grade stainless steel for longevity and hygiene compliance.
Polymer or Coated Housings
LDK’s food-grade units, for example, use high-resistance polymers that handle both chemicals and pressure washers — all while being easy to clean.
IP66 or IP69K Sealing
This is crucial. Without proper seals, grease leaks out — and worse, water and bacteria get in.
Look for high ingress protection ratings that stand up to caustic cleaning agents and high-pressure washdowns.
NSF H1 Grease
Only food-safe grease cuts it here. NSF H1 lubricants are designed for incidental contact — meaning they won’t trigger a recall if they end up near the product.
Self-Draining Design
No one talks about this, but it’s a big deal. Pooled water = bacterial breeding ground. Hygienic bearings are shaped and mounted to allow drainage, so nothing sits where it shouldn’t.
Audit-Proofing Your Food Grade Bearing Spec
Ever had to explain to a customer why your factory failed a hygiene audit?
No? Let’s keep it that way.
Certified hygienic bearings help you stay compliant with:
- NSF food-grade requirements
- FDA approvals for food contact materials
- EU 1935/2004 regulations
Ever had to explain to a customer why your factory failed a hygiene audit?
No? Let’s keep it that way.
Certified hygienic bearings help you stay compliant with:
- NSF food-grade requirements
- FDA approvals for food contact materials
- EU 1935/2004 regulations
They also help reduce your risk under:
- HACCP plans (yes, bearings can be critical control points)
- BRCGS and FSSC audits — where maintenance logs and component choices come under review.
Bearings are one of the most common mechanical “weak links” flagged during food safety audits — especially when housed near exposed product.
Audit-Proofing Your Food Grade Bearing Spec
This one trips people up all the time.
Just because a bearing survives a hose-down doesn’t mean it’s hygienic.
Here’s the distinction:
| Washdown Rated | Hygenic |
|---|---|
|
Can resist corrosion |
Built to prevent contamination |
|
May use sealed units |
Uses drainable, seal-tight housings |
|
Not always certified |
Always certified for food environments |
5 Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Food Safe Bearing
Here’s a simple checklist that’ll save you a headache later:
- Is the bearing fully and correctly sealed?
→ If not, it’s not surviving cleaning. - Is the grease NSF H1?
→ Anything else is a contamination risk. - Is the housing stainless or coated polymer?
→ Painted metal chips and corrodes. - Is it self-draining or easy to clean behind?
→ Look at the mounting — not just the unit. - Does it have documentation to back it up?
→ If you’re asked to prove it in an audit, you need spec sheets, not guesses.
5 Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Food Safe Bearing
If you’re investing in food safety training, cleaning schedules, and stainless-steel benches — don’t let your bearing spec undo it all. The wrong component doesn’t just wear out faster — it puts your entire process at risk.
Godiva stocks hygienic bearings designed for real-world food production:
Need help specifying your next bearing? Read the Complete Guide to Bearings in Food Production for more detailed information about Food Safe Bearings, or give us a call and our team will happily help you understand how to spec for food safe bearings.
TOM HAMLETT
Tom Hamlett is a respected authority in the global bearings marketplace, with over 35 years of experience in industrial bearings, lubricants, and adhesives across a wide range of industries. As Managing Director of Godiva Bearings, Tom has built a trusted business renowned for its commitment to quality, technical expertise, and ethical service. Under his leadership, Godiva Bearings has remained the UK’s only trade-exclusive bearings supplier, proudly serving engineers and distributors worldwide since 1977. Tom’s in-depth knowledge and dedication have cemented his reputation as one of the most knowledgeable figures in the sector.