A variety of food-contact and non-food-contact applications use nonmetal materials. Plastic, rubber and rubber-like materials are the largest and most diverse category.

When we think about the life cycle of process equipment for a food plant, we put a lot of effort into the sanitary requirements of the design.

"Why be concerned with the nonproduct contact surfaces when the product does not touch them?" This is a question I have heard many times in my many years as a USDA equipment inspector.

Dairy foods have been around for thousands of years. The dairy industry has operated plants for hundreds of years. While the equipment and technology used today are noticeably different from 20 years ago, the processing steps are very similar and sometimes unchanged from a hundred years ago.