Food Grade vs. Food Contact Safe: What You Need to Know

When choosing packaging, many people use the term "food grade" but the technical standard is actually Food Contact Safe. This means the material is specifically designed and tested to ensure it won’t contaminate the food it touches.

The "Outside vs Inside" Rule

A common mistake is assuming the entire package is food-safe. Most printed packaging is actually a "sandwich" of different materials:

• The Outside: The printing inks, glossy laminations, and chemical coatings on the exterior are usually not food-safe. This is acceptable because they aren't meant to touch the food.

  
  

• The Inside: The surface that directly touches your food must be food contact safe. This layer acts as a functional barrier to prevent chemicals from the outside (like ink) from leaking into the food.

How is it Proven?

You cannot tell if a material is safe just by looking at it. Instead, packaging must undergo migration testing. This checks if any microscopic substances "migrate" or transfer from the packaging into the food.

To ensure global safety, materials are tested against recognizable international standards:

• FDA 21 CFR 176.170 : The US standard for paper and paperboard in contact with

  aqueous (water-based) and fatty foods.

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• EN 1186-8:2002 : The European standard for testing plastic materials that come into

  contact with food.

  
  

Once a material passes these laboratory tests, it is officially certified as Food Contact Safe.

Key Takeaway

Don't just take a supplier's word for it. Always ask for the Declaration of Compliance (DoC) or the specific test reports mentioned above to ensure your packaging is truly safe for your customers.

email : info@golaa.com or visit www.golaa.com for more info.

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