IN Brief:
- 3-A SSI is recruiting voting members for five working groups.
- The 2026 portfolio covers tanks, batch processors, valves, dry-product conveyors, and compressed air.
- Applications close on 27 April, with an information session scheduled for 17 April.
3-A SSI has opened applications for five working groups that will update sanitary equipment design standards used across dairy and food processing, with the organisation targeting publication of the revised documents in 2026.
The current portfolio covers silo-type tanks, non-coil type batch processors, disc-type valves, mechanical conveyors for dry products, and the accepted practice covering supplying air under pressure. The working groups are being assembled across three constituencies — fabricators, processors or users, and regulatory sanitarians — to ensure the revisions reflect plant realities alongside inspection and compliance requirements.
For equipment suppliers and processors, the timetable is notable. Several groups are resuming prior draft work, and 3-A SSI has set a defined scope and end point for the revisions rather than leaving the process open-ended. A virtual information session for prospective volunteers is due on 17 April, while formal applications close on 27 April ahead of the groups’ planned May launch.
Standards work rarely grabs headlines, but it has a direct bearing on vessel design, dry handling, hygienic air systems, cleanability, and long-term equipment specification. Any update to the 3-A framework is therefore likely to be followed closely by fabricators, integrators, processors, and audit teams across the sector.
