IN Brief:
- NSF 538 certification covers more than 30 Interflon food-grade lubricants and requires annual attestation and retesting.
- Certified products must contain less than 100 ppm MOAH under the guideline and contain no intentionally added mineral oil, paraffin, naphthenes, PAHs or wax.
- Most new European maximum levels for MOAH in foods are due to apply from January 2027.
Interflon has become the first lubricant manufacturer to secure NSF 538 MOAH-Free certification, with more than 30 food-grade lubricants independently assessed against the new guideline.
NSF introduced Certification Guideline 538 in July 2025 to provide a defined framework for claims relating to mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons, or MOAH, in nonfood compounds used around food production. The certification gives engineering, maintenance and technical teams an independently verifiable reference when assessing lubricants used on equipment where incidental contact with food may occur.
Products covered by NSF 538 undergo formulation review and laboratory analysis. Qualifying products must contain less than 100 parts per million of MOAH as defined by the guideline and must not contain intentionally added mineral oil, paraffin, naphthenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or wax. Manufacturers must also maintain documented procedures intended to minimise contamination.
The certification is not limited to a one-off laboratory result. Certified products are subject to annual attestation and retesting, while their status can be checked through NSF’s public listings. That gives food companies a traceable route for verifying one part of the chemical control regime surrounding production and maintenance.
MOAH can enter food through several routes, including raw materials, processing aids, packaging, environmental contamination and machinery lubricants. Regulatory concern is focused particularly on structures containing three or more aromatic rings because of their potential genotoxic and carcinogenic properties.
European controls are also moving towards legally binding maximum levels. EU member states gave favourable support in May 2026 to a regulation amending the existing contaminants framework to introduce maximum MOAH limits in food. The European Commission has targeted adoption in October 2026, with most limits due to apply from 1 January 2027 and some requirements deferred to later dates.
That timetable increases pressure on food businesses to map possible contamination routes inside plants rather than rely only on finished-product testing. Lubricants are used widely on bearings, chains, conveyors, gears, compressors and other mechanical systems operating around exposed ingredients and packaged food, making specification and application control part of a wider contamination-prevention system.
NSF 538 does not certify that a finished food complies with European MOAH limits, and using a certified lubricant does not remove the need for risk assessment, maintenance controls or good engineering practice. It does provide a documented specification for one potential contamination source, reducing uncertainty during supplier approval and audit work.
Interflon says its existing food-grade range was already formulated without MOAH, so securing the certification did not require reformulation of the products covered. Its portfolio includes lubricants carrying NSF H1 or 3H registrations for applications involving the possibility of incidental food contact, while some products also hold NSF 537 PFAS-Free certification and ISO 21469 certification.
The distinction between registration, certification and finished-food compliance remains important. H1 registration concerns lubricants intended for locations where incidental food contact may occur, while NSF 538 addresses the MOAH criteria set out in its certification guideline. ISO 21469 covers hygiene requirements for the manufacture of lubricants that may have incidental product contact.
Maintenance substances often sit across engineering, procurement, food safety and audit responsibilities, and product information can become fragmented when several suppliers are involved. Publicly traceable certification gives those teams a common reference when maintaining approved chemical lists, reviewing contamination risks or preparing evidence for customers and auditors.
The new certification also arrives as food manufacturers face a broader tightening of controls around substances that may migrate or contaminate products unintentionally. Packaging, processing aids, recycled materials and factory chemicals are all receiving closer scrutiny, increasing demand for supplier data that is specific, repeatable and independently checked.
Interflon’s certification therefore adds a more structured evidence point to routine plant control rather than changing the basic engineering requirement. Food businesses still need to keep lubricants in the right application, use suitable quantities, prevent leaks, maintain equipment correctly and investigate any contamination event through established procedures.
It can also simplify procurement where multinational food groups are trying to standardise maintenance products across several sites. A common certification framework gives engineering and technical teams a consistent specification to compare, while local plants can still apply their own risk assessments, hygiene zoning and maintenance procedures according to the equipment and product involved.
As European MOAH limits move towards formal application, those controls will be judged against a clearer regulatory backdrop. Certified lubricant specifications will not settle every contamination question, but they give maintenance and food safety teams a defined benchmark for one class of substances already present across many production sites.
