Food-grade lubricants

The machines that mix your breakfast cereal, bottle your drinks, and package your snacks use special food-grade lubricants that are technically safe to eat, just in case they accidentally contaminate the product. These lubricants are made from ingredients like white mineral oils or synthetic compounds that have passed rigorous safety testing, similar to what food additives go through. A conveyor belt in a brewery or bakery might use gallons of these special oils, which cost several times more than regular industrial lubricants. Food-grade oils must still reduce friction and handle high pressures like regular lubricants, but they also need to resist water washdowns and remain stable when exposed to food acids, sugars, and salts.