The BISSC (Baking Industry Sanitation Standards Committee) was formed in 1949 to develop and publish voluntary standards for the design and construction of bakery equipment which today are recognized as the definitive sanitation standards for equipment used in the baking industry.

In addition, the BISSC Office of Certification was established in 1966 to promote greater recognition and use of equipment conforming to the criteria of BISSC standards. The Office of Certification offers two equipment certification programs to manufacturers with equipment built to ANSI/BISSC/Z50.2-2003 Sanitation Standard for the Design of Bakery Equipment criteria:

• Certification - manufacturers who can warrant that equipment conforms to the criteria of the ANSI/BISSC/Z50.2-2003 Sanitation Standard for the Design of Bakery Equipment can display the BISSC Certified symbol on the equipment
• Third-Party Verification - manufacturers already registered and certified with BISSC who successfully pass a third-party inspection by a BISSC-appointed independent testing agency can display the BISSC Verified symbol.

BISSC is a not-for-profit corporation that, working with the American Society of Baking Z50 Committee, developed an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for the design of bakery equipment. The standard provides guidance for a variety of manufacturing equipment regarding proper design for sanitation and food safety. A copy of the standard can be downloaded here.

Certification is the most common method used by manufacturers to verify their compliance with the standard. Manufacturers are required to have at least one BISSC-trained individual on site to certify equipment; click here for BISSC Certification Requirements. Manufacturers pay an annual registration fee per company of $375 and can then authorize specific equipment for a fee of $200 per model and apply for certification. The in-house trained inspector and a company official attests in writing that their equipment meets the design criteria in the ANSI/BISSC/Z50.2-2003 standard and become certified. This allows them to apply the BISSC Certified label on the specific equipment.

A third party can also verify the standard is met. A company must be registered and the equipment certified before applying for verification. An AIB representative will visit the manufacturer, inspect the equipment and verify that it complies with the design criteria. The company can then apply the BISSC Verified label to the specific equipment and market their product as BISSC Verified.

BISSC became a wholly-owned subsidiary of AIB International in 2007. This decision was made in an effort to enhance the BISSC certification program and promote the ANSI/BISSC/Z50.2-2003 standard. "It is our goal to improve the respectability of the certification program and promote the improved design of bakery equipment," said Jon Anderson, who manages the BISSC program for AIB.

BISSC contacts are Jon Anderson and Rosalie Wagner.