Certified hoses ensure food safety at Christmas markets

German-style Christmas markets are celebrated worldwide, but strict hygiene regulations are in place for booths serving food and drink. Technology company Continental is helping to ensure food hygiene at Christmas markets thanks to its certified drinking water and beverage hoses.

A congenial evening together with friends, colleagues or the family at a Christmas market is a popular way to enjoy the holidays. Christmas markets have a special atmosphere with their decorated and illuminated stands, the scent of toasted almonds, and booths offering mugs of glühwein (mulled wine). They are also a long-standing tradition in German-speaking countries since the 14th century.

Today, the markets are a firm fixture in the run-up to Christmas, and the 1,500 large and around 1,000 smaller Christmas markets in Germany reportedly attract more than 85 million visitors a year. In addition, German-style Christmas markets also take place in many other countries around the world, from the U.S. and U.K. to even China.

Flavor unimpaired
In Germany, market researchers estimate that visitors consume some 50 million liters of mulled wine each year. Much of this popular winter drink is delivered via wholesalers to the Christmas markets in huge barrels, each holding up to 1,000 liters.

Hoses are an essential flexible transport link to transfer the wine into the barrels. Very strict regulations and hygiene specifications are in place to prevent the contents from being contaminated. High-quality materials, extruded inner linings for a longer service life and comprehensive quality controls ensure that beverage hoses from Continental’s ContiTech unit are safe, durable equipment.

They meet all the statutory regulations and hygiene requirements applicable to food and beverage hoses. They are easy to clean and disinfect. Their homogeneous white inner lining is odor and taste-neutral, which means the special spiced aromas of the mulled wine are not impaired.

Hygienically clean
And to enjoy this popular drink, mulled wine mugs with winter motifs are typically available at Christmas markets. Cold or hot potable water has to be available at the market booths so that the mugs – as required by food hygiene regulations for glasses, cutlery and other equipment – can be thoroughly washed.

The hoses used to deliver water must be approved for carrying drinking water and must be correspondingly marked. They must also be undamaged. The Aquapal hose from Continental has been tested by accredited institutes and is one of the few hoses on the market that is also approved for carrying drinking water in accordance with the latest version of Germany’s Drinking Water Regulations.

The excellent flexibility across a broad temperature range and a weatherproof outer rubber lining that is resistant to oils and fats make it an ideal drinking water hose for almost every application – including outdoors.

ContiTech
www.contitech.us