Food and Beverage Processing Is the Most Chemically Aggressive Secondary Infrastructure Environment in British Industry. Here Is Why FRP Is the Correct Specification.
- Jul 9
- 10 min read
Food and beverage processing is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, contributing £28.2 billion to manufacturing GVA and employing nearly 400,000 people. It is also one of the most chemically aggressive secondary infrastructure environments in British industry. Caustic cleaning agents, acidic washdowns, persistent steam and moisture, hygiene-critical surfaces, and strict food safety regulations combine to create a specification environment where galvanised steel secondary infrastructure is a persistent maintenance liability and a genuine food safety risk. FRP was designed for exactly this.
Published by Reinforce Technology | 7 July 2026
The UK's food and drink manufacturing sector comprises more than 12,000 businesses spanning every region of the country. It is the single largest manufacturing sector by gross value added, contributing 17% of all UK manufacturing GVA at £28.2 billion (Innovate UK, 2026). The Food and Drink Federation's growth ambitions, published in November 2025 and backed by brands including Nestlé UK, Carlsberg Britvic, Danone, and Premier Foods, set a target to double annual business investment from £5.8 billion to £12 billion, driven by automation, digitalisation, and factory modernisation programmes that are already generating significant capital expenditure across UK production sites (The Manufacturer, 2025).
Factory investment in 2025 was substantial across the sector. Carlsberg Britvic invested £20 million in a new canning line at its Rugby factory, taking total production capacity to 610,000 canned soft drinks per hour. Around Noon opened a new £50 million capacity manufacturing facility in Slough. Jones Village Bakery launched a £20 million production line in Wrexham as part of a £47 million investment package. Kellanova invested £75 million to create Europe's biggest cereal factory at its Wrexham site (Food Manufacture, 2025). Each of these investments represents a major processing facility whose secondary infrastructure, the grating, walkways, cable management, and structural systems that support the production equipment, must perform across a 25 to 30-year operational life in the most chemically demanding manufacturing environment in the UK.
Food and beverage processing environments are unique in their combination of chemical aggression, hygiene criticality, and operational intensity. The caustic soda and peracetic acid cleaning regimes of dairy and beverage processing, the steam and humidity of bakery and cooking operations, the acidic washdowns of meat and poultry processing, and the constant temperature cycling of refrigerated production zones all create conditions that attack galvanised steel secondary infrastructure simultaneously from multiple directions. FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymer) addresses every one of these demands with a single intrinsic material property: it does not corrode, does not support microbial growth, does not shed particles into the product stream, and requires no chemical treatment or surface maintenance across the full operational life of the installation.
Why Food Processing Is the Most Demanding Secondary Infrastructure Environment
The secondary infrastructure demands of a food and beverage processing facility are determined by three simultaneous and partially conflicting requirements: the facility must be chemically clean enough to comply with food safety regulations; it must be structurally robust enough to survive the cleaning regimes that achieve that cleanliness; and it must be hygienic enough that the infrastructure itself does not become a source of contamination or microbial harbouring that compromises the product.
The cleaning chemicals used in food and beverage processing are among the most aggressive encountered in any industrial application. Caustic soda at concentrations of 1 to 5% is the standard cleaning agent for organic soil removal in dairy, beverage, and brewing operations, applied at elevated temperatures in Clean-in-Place systems that cycle the solution through equipment and over secondary infrastructure surfaces repeatedly across every production shift. Peracetic acid at 0.1 to 0.5% is widely used for sanitisation following caustic cleaning, creating an oxidising acid environment that attacks zinc coatings and metal surfaces with particular aggression. Hypochlorite sanitisers, used across meat, poultry, and ready-to-eat processing, generate chlorine-based oxidising conditions that degrade galvanised coatings at the fastest rate of any food processing cleaning agent.
Galvanised steel secondary infrastructure subjected to daily or twice-daily cycles of caustic soda at 60 to 80°C followed by peracetic acid sanitisation will lose its zinc coating within two to three years at the most exposed locations, including grating surfaces, walkway edges, and the connection interfaces of cable management systems. Once the zinc is depleted and base steel is exposed, iron oxide contamination begins: rust particles from corroding steel secondary infrastructure that enters the food product stream, the drainage system, or the processing environment is a food safety incident as well as a maintenance problem. The consequences for a food business of a foreign body contamination event attributable to corroding secondary infrastructure are substantial: product recalls, regulatory action, and reputational damage that far exceed the cost of specifying FRP correctly at the installation stage.
Where FRP Is Specified in Food and Beverage Processing
1. Production Floor Grating and Walkways
Production floor grating and walkway systems in food processing facilities are among the most directly challenged secondary infrastructure on any site. They are the surfaces on which production operatives work, which are cleaned multiple times daily with the full range of food-grade cleaning chemicals, and which must provide consistent anti-slip performance in wet, chemical-splash conditions while not harbouring the microbial communities that food safety regulations require to be controlled.
FRP moulded grating provides anti-slip access flooring whose surface performance does not degrade under repeated caustic soda, peracetic acid, or hypochlorite cleaning cycles. The integral grit surface, bonded into the moulded panel during manufacture, maintains consistent slip resistance across the full service life of the installation without the coating degradation that food-grade painted or galvanised grating alternatives experience under sustained chemical cleaning regimes. FRP does not support microbial growth, does not rust, and does not shed particles into the drainage or production environment. The food safety case for FRP grating in processing environments is not an incremental advantage over steel. It is a qualitative difference between a surface that introduces contamination risk and one that does not (IntechOpen, 2022).
FRP grating can be manufactured in colours that support colour-coded hygiene zoning requirements, with different zone areas specified in different colours to support the segregation management that high-care and high-risk processing areas require. Blue, green, and yellow FRP grating panels are widely used in food processing facilities where colour coding is a hygiene management tool rather than an aesthetic preference.
2. Cable Management in Processing Environments
Food and beverage processing facilities are electrically intensive. Production line drives, refrigeration compressors, conveyor systems, cooking and pasteurisation equipment, and the automation and process control systems that govern production quality all require cable management infrastructure routed across the operational footprint of the facility. That cable management sits in the same chemical cleaning environment as the grating and walkways, exposed to the same caustic, acid, and hypochlorite cycling that degrades galvanised steel at production floor level.
FRP cable trays in food processing environments provide corrosion-immune cable management that does not degrade under repeated cleaning chemical exposure, does not require recoating at intervals that would necessitate production shutdowns for access, and does not generate the rust contamination that corroding steel cable management introduces into the overhead environment above production lines. In facilities where Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point plans include overhead contamination as a food safety risk, corroding steel cable management is a documented HACCP hazard. FRP cable management is not (IntechOpen, 2022).
FRP cable trays are also non-conductive, relevant in the wet environments of food processing where the combination of cleaning water, electrical systems, and metal infrastructure creates electrical safety risks that non-conductive cable management eliminates. The washdown environments of processing facilities, where high-pressure water jets are directed at production equipment and the surrounding secondary infrastructure during cleaning cycles, create conditions where non-conductive cable management is a specific and documented electrical safety advantage.
3. Structural Profiles for Equipment Supports and Mezzanine Framing
Processing equipment in food manufacturing, including mixing vessels, conveyor frames, packaging machines, and cooling tunnels, requires secondary structural framing and equipment supports that carry the weight and dynamic loads of production machinery while surviving the cleaning regime of the production environment. FRP pultruded structural profiles for equipment supports provide corrosion-resistant, non-conductive structural sections that do not rust, do not require periodic surface treatment, and do not introduce metallic contamination risk into the processing environment through corrosion byproducts at any point across their operational life.
The lighter weight of FRP structural sections, approximately 75% lighter than equivalent steel, is a practical advantage in food processing installations where equipment supports and mezzanine framing are often installed, modified, or extended around operational production equipment. FRP sections can be handled and positioned without the mechanical lifting equipment that steel sections require, reducing the disruption to adjacent production areas during installation and modification work (IntechOpen, 2022).
4. Drainage Channels and Kerbing
Food processing facilities generate substantial quantities of process water, cleaning solution runoff, and product waste that must be collected, channelled, and removed through drainage systems integrated into the production floor. Those drainage channels sit in continuous contact with the most concentrated chemical cleaning solutions used on the site, combined with organic acids and fats from the food product stream itself, in the floor-level environment where chemical concentrations are highest.
FRP drainage channels in vinyl ester or epoxy resin provide chemical resistance to the full range of food processing drainage chemistry, without the corrosion that stainless steel drainage systems experience at welds and surface scratches in aggressive organic acid and chlorine environments, and without the galvanic corrosion that occurs at the interfaces between stainless steel and carbon steel drainage components. FRP drainage channels require no surface treatment maintenance, do not harbour microorganisms in the smooth polymer surface, and provide a 25-year service life in the drainage environments of food processing facilities where the most aggressive cleaning chemicals are concentrated.
The Food Safety Regulation Case for FRP
Food safety regulation in the UK is governed by the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Hygiene Regulations 2006, with enforcement by local authority environmental health officers and the Food Standards Agency. The regulations require that food businesses ensure food contact surfaces and the surfaces and structures of food premises are maintained in a sound condition, easy to clean, and where necessary to disinfect. Secondary infrastructure that corrodes, sheds particles, or harbours microbial growth is specifically addressed by these requirements, and the consequences of non-compliance include enforcement notices, prohibition orders, and reputational damage from food safety incidents.
FRP secondary infrastructure in food processing environments satisfies the maintenance, cleanability, and hygiene requirements of UK food safety regulation through its material properties rather than through a maintenance programme. Its corrosion immunity means there is no progressive degradation to maintain. Its smooth, non-porous surface is easily cleaned and does not harbour microbial communities in the surface texture. Its non-shedding behaviour means there is no particle contamination risk from the infrastructure itself. Specifying FRP secondary infrastructure in a food processing facility is not just a lifecycle cost decision or a specification quality decision. It is a food safety decision, and the regulatory framework that governs UK food manufacturing makes it an increasingly consequential one as facilities modernise and investment programmes bring new production capacity into operation.
The Lifecycle Cost Position for Food Processing Secondary Infrastructure
The lifecycle cost case for FRP in food processing environments is among the strongest available for any application category, because the corrosion rate of galvanised steel in food processing chemical environments is higher than in most other industrial settings, and the cost of each maintenance event is amplified by the production shutdown implications of working in a live food processing environment.
Recoating corroded secondary steel infrastructure in an operational food processing facility requires production stoppage, environmental controls to prevent contamination of the product environment, and a cleaning validation programme after the work is complete before production can resume. Each of these requirements adds cost and time to what would be a straightforward industrial maintenance task in a non-food environment. The aggregate cost of secondary steel infrastructure maintenance across the 25-year life of a food processing facility, including production downtime, cleaning validation, contractor access, and materials, typically exceeds the purchase price premium of FRP specification many times over.
A peer-reviewed lifecycle cost analysis found approximately 50% lifecycle cost savings for GFRP versus steel over long study periods (Younis, Ebead and Judd, 2018). In food processing environments, where maintenance costs are amplified by production hygiene requirements, the break-even point at which FRP's lower lifecycle cost offsets its higher purchase price falls earlier than in most other industrial applications. The FDF's ambition to double sector investment to £12 billion annually will drive substantial new factory construction and production line upgrades across UK food and beverage processing. Every facility in that investment programme faces the same choice at secondary infrastructure specification stage. The choice that avoids the maintenance liabilities, food safety risks, and production disruption of corroding steel secondary infrastructure, across a 25-year operational life in the most chemically aggressive manufacturing environment in the UK, is FRP.
Reinforce Technology FRP Products for Food and Beverage Processing
Reinforce Technology supplies FRP grating, cable trays, structural profiles, and drainage channels for food and beverage processing infrastructure across the UK. Available in polyester, vinyl ester, and epoxy resin systems, with vinyl ester recommended for high-concentration caustic soda, peracetic acid, and hypochlorite cleaning environments. Colour-coded FRP grating available for hygiene zone management. All products provide corrosion-free, non-shedding, easily cleanable secondary infrastructure that satisfies UK food safety regulation requirements across 25-year design lives in food processing conditions.
Contact us to discuss your food processing facility and the correct FRP specification for your specific cleaning regime, production environment, and food safety requirements.
Final confirmation of suitability for any specific food processing application, including resin system selection for the specific cleaning chemicals used, remains the responsibility of the appointed project engineer. Compliance with food safety regulations is the responsibility of the food business operator. Reinforce Technology provides technical guidance and material recommendations based on information supplied to us.
References
Food Manufacture (2025) Key Food and Beverage Manufacturing Investments of 2025. Available at: https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2025/12/16/key-food-and-beverage-manufacturing-investments-of-2025/ [Accessed: 7 July 2026]. [Carlsberg Britvic £20m Rugby canning line; Around Noon £50m Slough facility; Jones Village Bakery £20m Wrexham production line; Kellanova £75m Wrexham cereal factory].
Innovate UK (2026) Food Sector Overview. Available at: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/agrifood/food/ [Accessed: 7 July 2026]. [UK food and drink manufacturing: 17% of UK manufacturing GVA at £28.2 billion; 6,800+ businesses; 400,000 employees].
IntechOpen (2022) 'Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) in Civil Engineering', in IntechOpen Engineering Series. Available at: https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/84203 [Accessed: 7 July 2026]. [Non-conductive and corrosion-immune properties; 75% lighter than steel; non-porous surface does not harbour microbial growth].
NACE International (2016) International Measures of Prevention, Application and Economics of Corrosion Technology (IMPACT). Houston, TX: NACE International. Available at: http://impact.nace.org/economic-impact.aspx [Accessed: 7 July 2026].
The Manufacturer (2025) FDF Urges Government to Back £50bn Growth Plan. Available at: https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/fdf-urges-government-to-back-50bn-growth-plan-for-uks-largest-manufacturing-sector/ [Accessed: 7 July 2026]. [FDF five Growth Ambitions; doubling annual investment from £5.8bn to £12bn; brands including Nestlé UK, Carlsberg Britvic, Danone, Premier Foods].
Younis, A., Ebead, U. and Judd, S. (2018) 'Life cycle cost analysis of structural concrete using seawater, recycled concrete aggregate, and GFRP reinforcement', Construction and Building Materials, 175, pp. 135-144. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.183. [Approximately 50% lifecycle cost saving for GFRP versus steel over 100-year study period].
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