Fourth Edition, December 2025 

This document outlines the hygienic design considerations applicable for a risk-based approach to prevent contamination of food products. Entities (equipment and facilities) with poor hygienic design are difficult to clean. This document describes the principles of hygienic design that should be followed when designing, constructing and installing entities intended for food manufacturing. Guidance is provided for each of these steps to ensure that they do not adversely affect food safety and quality. The principles and criteria apply to both the processing equipment and the manufacturing environment according to the intended use. These criteria are used as a basis for EHEDG equipment certification. Other EHEDG Guidelines elaborate on the various aspects explained in this Guideline.