| Food-contact parts | Identify every surface that may contact fufu, water, or ingredients, including the bowl, paddle, shaft, scraper, seals, and gaskets. | Request a parts list that names the material for each food-contact component. Check that the documents cover the supplied machine configuration. | The seller describes the machine as “food grade” but cannot identify the materials or the parts covered. |
| EU Regulation 1935/2004 | The framework regulation requires food-contact materials to be sufficiently inert: they must not transfer constituents in amounts that could endanger health, cause an unacceptable change in food composition, or impair its organoleptic characteristics. | Ask for a written, product-specific compliance statement and supporting technical documents explaining how the intended food-contact use is addressed. | A generic claim or certificate is offered without identifying the product, contact parts, or intended conditions of use. |
| Plastic components | For plastic food-contact parts, check whether the applicable requirements of EU Regulation 10/2011 are addressed in addition to the framework regulation. | Request the applicable Declaration of Compliance and supporting migration-test information. Confirm the tested material, food type, contact time, and temperature are relevant to use. | A test report covers a different plastic, food type, or use condition from the part being supplied. |
| Metal parts | For bowls, paddles, and shafts, verify the specified metal grade and whether coatings, welds, or surface treatments are present. | Ask for material specifications and food-contact suitability evidence for the actual alloy and finished surface. Consider the food’s acidity, temperature, and contact duration. | The response gives only “stainless steel” without a grade, or does not address coatings and surface condition. |
| Seals and flexible parts | Check seals, gaskets, and flexible scrapers that can contact food, including their material and stated temperature limits. | Request documentation for the exact compound and intended use. Confirm that replacement parts have the same documented food-contact suitability. | Seals are undocumented, difficult to identify, or replaced with parts of unknown material. |
| Intended conditions of use | Compliance evidence should reflect how the machine will actually be used, including food type, temperature, contact time, and cleaning routine. | Ask which use conditions the assessment covers and whether hot mixing, prolonged contact, or repeated cleaning affects the food-contact parts. | The evidence covers room-temperature contact only, while the stated process involves different conditions. |
| Traceability and changes | Regulation 1935/2004 includes traceability requirements. Material or supplier changes can affect whether existing evidence remains relevant. | Check that product and component identifiers appear on records, and ask how changes to food-contact materials are controlled and communicated. | Documents cannot be linked to the model or parts supplied, or material substitutions are not disclosed. |
| Manufacturing controls | Food-contact materials and articles are subject to applicable good manufacturing practice requirements, including Commission Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006. | Ask how production controls prevent contamination and maintain the documented food-contact properties of the finished parts. | The seller provides no information on production controls or handling of food-contact components. |
| Cleaning and inspection | Food-contact surfaces should be accessible for cleaning and inspection; design details can affect residue build-up and hygienic maintenance. | Review disassembly instructions, cleaning guidance, and the design around joints, welds, seals, and the underside of mixing components. | Food-contact areas are inaccessible or cleaning instructions do not cover the supplied design. |
| Claims and marking | CE marking relates to applicable EU product legislation; by itself, it is not proof that food-contact materials comply with Regulation 1935/2004. | Evaluate food-contact claims separately and request the relevant material-specific documents. A Declaration of Compliance is required where applicable legislation requires one; it is not a universal requirement for every material under the framework regulation alone. | CE marking, a “food grade” label, or a generic certificate is presented as the only evidence of food-contact compliance. |