Manufacturers that make food service equipment invite certification agencies to visit their facilities and test their equipment for safety and sanitation. A seal of approval from a respected certification board lends legitimacy to a product and guarantees that it will be safe to use in a commercial setting after it leaves the factory. It won’t catch fire. It won’t rust. It’s safe.
These certifications should be important to you because they ensure safety and sanitation in your food service business. They also gain you points during health and safety inspections. Below you’ll find the different certifications and their symbols that adorn your restaurant’s equipment.
National Sanitation Foundation
The gold-standard for sanitation certification. Not having a NSF sticker is a deal breaker for many restaurants since health inspectors often look for NSF-Approved devices. The NSF symbol marks that a product was rigorously texted inside the warehouse it was built so that it continues to prevent food contamination for its whole lifespan. NSF-certified equipment are almost always in compliance with your local health department’s codes.
Electric Testing Labs
Th ETL certification is issued by Intertek, an independent product testing company that tests for compliance with gas and electric safety standards. Unlike NSF, they are a business, rather than a non-profit. Testing with Intertek is optional, and is a choice made by the manufacturer before their product goes to market. All ETL-Listed products meet the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) guidelines for safety. cETLus-Certified products meet the safety guidelines set forth in both Canada and the United States. ETL Sanitation indicates a compliance with NSF sanitation standards as well as regular ETL guidelines.
Conformité Européenne
The CE marking indicates a product that complies with European Union legislation of a certain class of product. It indicates that the product meets all legal requirements within the European Economic Area and it allows that the product to move freely across the European market. All 30 countries that participate in the European Economic Area require their products meet CE standards.
Underwriters Laboratory
UL is an independent laboratory which tests and certifies for safety and compliance. They’re one of the oldest, most deeply respected, testing facilities in both the US and Canada. Typically, you see their familiar logo without any alterations, but a small “C” to the left of the logo indicates that the product is certified for use only in Canada, and a small “US” on the right indicates that it’s certified only for the US.
Federal Communications Commission
Microwaves and induction cooking ranges operate using radio waves. Radio waves are regulated by the FCC. If you look on the back of your kitchen’s microwave, it will have the FCC logo. Most restaurant owners won’t have to worry about whether their microwaves are FCC compliant or not. It is not something the health inspector looks for.
Canadian Standards Association
Headquartered in Toronto, the CSA monitors electrical and gas equipment in much the same way as NSF and UL. In fact, CSA tests for the same standards as NSF and UL, so if the equipment has the CSA mark, it is should be certified for all three. As such, CSA is often a viable alternative to NSF and UL.
National Type Evaluation Program
The National Conference On Weights And Measures is a nonprofit association that has made sure that measuring devices are measuring accurately since 1905. A legal for trade scale earns the NTEP mark after National Conference On Weights and Measurement engineers test the scale for precision and accuracy.
