Kitchen Equipment Certifications Explained

How can you be sure you’re getting the best equipment?

Simply put: Certifications! When you buy equipment that has been certified, you can be sure you are getting a superior product that has been tested to meet certain requirements.

But what certifications should you look for? And which ones are most important to you and your business?

While we can’t answer that second question, this post will seek to give you all the information required to be able to answer it for yourself. We will delve into each of the different certification types, what they mean, the requirements that must be met to obtain them, and how they can potentially help your business.

Let’s get started!

NSF

The first certification we would like to talk about is probably one of the most important. It’s NSF certified. We know, NSF is just three letters. But for those who know what those letters mean, the certifications indicates that the item can be relied on to provide sanitary food conditions. The equipment item will preserve food quality and safety when in use.

This certification can be applied to practically any and every type of foodservice equipment. We have cooking equipment, prep tables, work tables, sinks, faucets- literally almost everything we sell- can be NSF certified. It’s a stamp of approval that indicates this piece of equipment can be trusted to maintain high sanitation standards. It can be trusted to protect food quality and safety for the entirety of its lifespan. It can be relied on to increase your inspection scores.

Yes, NSF certified equipment can get you a higher rating from inspectors. They know what it means, they trust it too.

NSF certified equipment is rigorously and painstakingly tested before it ever leaves the factory to ensure your trust is not misplaced. They typically meet all health department codes and requirements as well, giving you greater peace of mind.

ELT

Alright, let’s move on to the next one (We have a LOT to get through). The next one is another important one (They’re all important) because it is completed by an independent company, not the manufacturer. It’s called ETL – Electric Testing Labs- certified. It indicates that the equipment you are about to purchase has been tested to comply with gas and electric safety standards. The company that completes this is a business; they are not a non-profit like those who complete NSF certifications. Meaning, manufacturers have to pay to have their equipment tested and certified in this way. It a chose they themselves have to make and reach out to obtain.

ETL-listed equipment meets all the requirements laid out by the American National Standard Institutes for electrical and gas safety. cETLus-Certified indicates that the equipment meets the safety guidelines, not only in America but for use in Canada as well. When you see something marked as ETL Sanitation, you can be assured that the items meets BOTH electrical and gas safety requirements as well as food safety and sanitation guidelines.

UL

This certification moves away from sanitation and focuses on design. It evaluates a piece of equipment’s gas and electrical setup, structural strength, and overall safety. If an item has been marked as UL certified, it means the equipment item has a sound design that will be safe for your business’s operation. This testing and certification is provided by Underwriters Laboratories.

Other certifications this company offers are cULus, cUL, UL EPH, UL-Sanitation, and HACCP. Each of these hones in on one particular aspect of the equipment’s design or relates to which countries’ standards the equipment is compliant with. cULus, for instance, means it meets both American and Canadian guidelines. cUL indicates it meets Canadian standards.

UL EPH and UL-Sanitation focus on the item’s sanitation and ability to meet food safety requirements. UL-Sanitation certifications are often considered just as good as NSF certifications, allowing your food service equipment to pass inspection even without an NSF marker.

HACCP shows that the item has passed Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points testing. According to NSF.org, it “provides the general principles of food hygiene from primary production through final consumption, highlighting key hygiene controls at each stage” and “can be applied to all stages of a food supply chain, from food production and preparation processes, to packaging and distribution.” When equipment is certified, it marks the item as upholding the food safety guidelines set by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

CSA

CSA stands for Canadian Standards Association and represents that the item has been tested to meet Canadian standards for equipment. It looks at the item’s overall energy efficiency, operation, and safety. This includes the equipment’s gas and electrical safety; not just it’s Sanitation. CSA-Sanitation certifications focus specifically on the unit’s ability to uphold food quality and food safety standards.

CE

Safety standards and health code directives implemented in Europe are met when the equipment has a CE certification.

Energy Star

While we already have several blogs on energy star certified equipment, we wanted to briefly mention it again here. This certification is a guarantee that the unit purchased will reduce your energy consumption and, thereby, reduce your energy costs. These items can save you thousands of dollars, hundreds in a single year of use.

ADA Compliant

When equipment has been marked as being ADA compliant, it shows that it meets the standards laid out in the American with Disabilities Act. The unit has been designed in such a way that those with disabilities can and will still be able to use it. An example of this would be when a unit has a Brielle keypad or when a unit’s height can be adjusted for a person in a wheelchair.

AHRI

This certification stands for Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute. The institution that bears the same name provides this certification after testing the unit’s ability to comply with commercial refrigeration, kitchen ventilation, and heating and cooling standards. It also tests how the unit may affect the air-conditioning, heating, and refrigeration of other equipment pieces within the commercial kitchen. This test is voluntary as well and must be sought out by the manufacturers themselves.

When the item has been certified, customers can be guaranteed that the unit will meet the standards and specifications laid out in the items’ features and benefits.