Food and beverage manufacturing covers three quite different plant types under one label. Liquid processing is about thermal treatment, CIP and flow. Powder processing is about dust, and dust in this sector is an explosion hazard that is routinely under-assessed. Fermentation is about biology, CO2 and ethanol. A site running all three has three separate engineering problems and usually one engineering team.

Projex Solutions provides engineering design, hygienic design support, process safety studies and EPCM project delivery for food and beverage manufacturers.

What makes this work different

Combustible dust is the hazard sites are least prepared for. Flour, milk powder, sugar, starch, cocoa and protein powders form explosible clouds. That brings DSEAR 2002 into scope with dust zoning and explosion protection design. Many sites hold a DSEAR assessment that covers a gas boiler and nothing else.

Fermentation and brewing carry CO2 asphyxiation risk. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, accumulates in pits, tanks and low-level spaces, and gives no warning. Ethanol handling in distilling brings flammable atmosphere risk alongside it.

Hygienic design is a design discipline with standards behind it. Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 sets the structural and equipment obligations, BS EN 1672-2:2020 sets the basic hygiene and cleanability concepts for food processing machinery, and EHEDG guidance carries most of the practical detail.

Thermal processing has to be validated, not assumed. Pasteurisation and sterilisation performance depends on flow distribution, hold tube design and instrumentation as much as on set point.

CIP is frequently the bottleneck. Systems designed for an earlier plant configuration often no longer achieve coverage or contact time within the cleaning window.

Where we help

  • Combustible dust DSEAR assessment and explosion protection design, covering zoning, basis of safety, venting, suppression and isolation
  • CO2 and ethanol hazard assessment, ventilation design and monitoring strategy
  • Hygienic design assessment and gap closure against BRCGS and FSSC requirements
  • CIP system design and verification, including coverage and capacity
  • Thermal process design and validation support
  • Powder handling and pneumatic conveying design
  • Capacity, debottlenecking and new line introduction
  • Utilities and trade effluent design, including permit-constrained discharge
  • 3D laser scanning, CDM 2015 duty holder support and EPCM delivery under ISO 9001:2015

Typical reasons clients get in touch

  • A dust explosion assessment has never been done, or predates a change of materials
  • CO2 risk in fermentation cellars or tank areas needs proper assessment
  • An audit non-conformance requires a physical hygienic design fix
  • CIP cannot clean the plant within the available window
  • Capacity has to rise inside an existing building
  • Trade effluent consent is constraining production

Related

Part of our work across the FMCG sector. See also nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, and flavours, fragrances and aroma chemicals.

Standards and regulations we work to

  • Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs
  • BRCGS Global Standard Food Safety Issue 9, with Issue 10 in development
  • FSSC 22000, with Version 7 published in May 2026 and a defined transition timetable
  • BS EN 1672-2:2020, hygiene and cleanability requirements for food processing machinery
  • EHEDG guidelines for hygienic equipment and plant design
  • DSEAR 2002, with ACOP L138 (second edition, 2013), for combustible dust and ethanol
  • BS EN 60079-10-2 for dust area classification
  • Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (as amended), for effluent and emissions
  • PUWER 1998, CDM 2015 and ISO 9001:2015

Frequently asked questions

Our DSEAR assessment covers the boiler house. Is that enough?
Almost certainly not, if you handle powders. Flour, milk powder, sugar, starch, cocoa and protein blends all form explosible dust clouds, and that brings dust zoning, basis of safety and explosion protection into scope. An assessment limited to gas-fired plant is one of the most common gaps we find in this sector.

When does the FSSC 22000 Version 7 transition actually bite?
Version 6 audits are permitted until 30 April 2027, with upgrade audits to Version 7 running from 1 May 2027 to 30 April 2028. Anything requiring physical facility change should be planned against that, because engineering and shutdown lead times are longer than the audit calendar suggests.

Our CIP was fine when it was installed. Why is it struggling now?
Because the plant it cleans has changed. Added vessels, longer runs and new fittings alter flow distribution and coverage, and the cleaning window rarely grows to match. It is usually a hydraulics question that can be answered without replacing the system.

Can you work around a fixed shutdown?
Yes, and we would design the scope around it from the outset rather than discovering the constraint during construction.

Do you handle the trade effluent side?
Yes. Consent limits frequently constrain production more tightly than any process bottleneck, and treatment, balancing and load reduction are all engineering answers to what is often treated as a commercial problem.

Can hygienic design improvements be phased?
Usually, and they should be. Prioritising by risk lets the highest-consequence items close first, which is also what an auditor wants to see evidence of.

Talk to us about your site. Request a call