Pumps 101 — Sanitary Certifications
3-A, EHEDG, FDA, and clean-in-place, in plain terms — what each one means and how it shapes pump selection for food and seafood processing.
The Short Version
"Sanitary" is not a single certification but a set of design standards and material approvals that together let a pump run in direct food contact and clean up to audit. For a processor, the practical question is which standards a pump meets and whether it can be cleaned in place without disassembly.
The four below are the ones that come up most in North American food and seafood processing.
The Standards
US hygienic design standards for food and dairy equipment. Pumps carrying the 3-A symbol meet requirements for cleanable, crevice-free construction, approved materials, and surface finish.
The European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group certifies, by test, that equipment can be cleaned in place effectively. Widely recognized across global food processing.
US Food and Drug Administration regulations govern the materials that contact food, including the elastomers and plastics used for seals, hoses, and diaphragms.
Clean-in-place and sterilize-in-place describe cleaning or sterilizing a pump without taking it apart. Hygienic pumps are designed to drain fully and clean thoroughly in place.
In the IPE Portfolio
Among the lines IPE supplies, Ampco's positive displacement pumps conform to 3-A and are EHEDG certified, and Enviroflex offers food-grade, FDA-compliant hoses. Because certification requirements vary by facility, market, and auditor, IPE confirms the specific standards your application needs before recommending equipment.
Related: All pump types → | Manufacturer lines →
Questions
What's the difference between 3-A and EHEDG?
3-A is a US set of hygienic design standards with a certification symbol; EHEDG is a European framework that verifies cleanability by test. Many pumps meet both, and processors specify one or the other depending on market and auditor.
Which pumps does IPE supply that are certified?
Ampco's positive displacement pumps conform to 3-A and are EHEDG certified, and Enviroflex offers food-grade, FDA-compliant hoses. IPE confirms the exact certifications your facility requires.
What does CIP-capable actually mean?
It means the pump is designed to be cleaned in place, without disassembly, by circulating cleaning solution through it. Hygienic pumps drain fully and have crevice-free flow paths so cleaning is thorough and verifiable.
Tell us the standards your facility and auditors require, and IPE will match you to compliant, certified pump lines.
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