EHEDG Fundamental Hygienic Design (HYG16)

The course is for you who need to gain a basic knowledge of hygienic design in order to gain an overview of the process’s specialists perform in the field. It may be that you work with project management, production, purchasing or finance.

Learn the fundamentals of hygienic design in food manufacturing

This EHEDG Fundamental Course gives you a practical introduction to hygienic design of equipment and production environments in the food industry. You learn how hygienic design supports food safety, efficient cleaning and reliable daily operation. Specifically focus is on how to work structured with external demands from e.g. external auditors.

This course - designed by EHEDG - fits in with our Academy and can be studied as standalone or as part of a structured learning journey.

Outcome

What can you expect

Who is the course relevant for

The course is suitable for anyone who needs a basic understanding of hygienic design, including:

Production and process staff
Staff in supporting technical functions
Food safety and QA personnel
Procurement, project managers and operations staff involved in equipment decisions

What you gain from the course

The course gives you a clear understanding of the fundamental principles of hygienic design and how they are applied in food manufacturing. You learn to recognize how design choices influence food safety, cleanability and daily operation, and how to identify typical hygiene risks in equipment and installations.

After the course, you will be able to:

Explain the basic principles of hygienic design
Understand the link between equipment design, cleaning and food safety
Identify common hygienic design flaws and risk areas
Participate confidently in discussions about hygienic requirements and solutions

What your organization gains

When employees complete this EHEDG Fundamental course, your organization builds a shared understanding of hygienic design across roles and functions. This common baseline supports better decisions in design, procurement and operation of equipment and installations.

As a result, hygiene risks are identified earlier, cleaning becomes more effective and daily operations more stable. Over time, this strengthens overall food safety performance and supports consistent, well-founded collaboration across the organization.

Content and process

Course content and format

The course is taught either as two half days online or one full day with physical attendance.

The course is practice-oriented and introduces key hygienic design concepts used in the food industry.

You will be introduced to:

Basic hygienic design requirements
Materials, surfaces and construction principles
Design for effective cleaning
Typical hygiene pitfalls in equipment and installations
Practical examples from food manufacturing

Prerequisites and level

This is a fundamental-level course and requires no specific prior knowledge beyond a general interest in food safety and production.

Meet your instructor

Dr. Alan Friis

Dr. Alan Friis has more than 30 years’ experience in hygienic design of food processes. He manages the Center for Hygienic Design at Force Technology. Alan has been involved in many international research and development projects. He is a recognized international author on different aspects of hygienic design, fluid flow and cleaning. Alan has substantial experience with industrial applications areas such as food technology, food safety, systems engineering, hygienic design, installation, and maintenance.

Alan is an EHEDG Authorized Evaluation Officer and member of several EHEDG Subcommittees and working groups notably co-chairing the working group on Robotic Systems and is co-author of several EHEDG guidelines. Alan is a highly experienced trainer who covers all topics included in the EHEDG Advanced Course on Hygienic.

Exam and certification

The attendees receive an attendance certificate from EHEDG upon completion of the course.

Tailor the course to your organisation

This course can be adapted so participants work with your systems, data and real-world challenges from your organisation. Plan a tailored course for your team

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Reach out to Alan Friis for more information.