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Plastics in food contact
 
Kindly refer to the following list of plastics recommended for food contact applications from the polyamides, polybutylene terephthalates polymer classes which comply with the recommendations of the BfR and the provisions of the EU or the USA.


Product EU ||USA
Durethan Lebensmittel-Status in der Europäischen Union
                 ||food state US
Pocan Lebensmittel-Status in der Europäischen Union ||food state US
    ||
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LANXESS Corporation Web Site for the Region NAFTA region.


Plastics for food contact applications

The most important requirements for materials and articles for food contact applications are defined e.g. in Art. 30-33 of the German Foods, Commodities and Animal Feed Code of Law (LFGB) and Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 article 3, 1 and its amendments until today:

"Commodities must be of such a nature that they cannot cause damage to health when used for the intended purpose or in a foreseeable manner. Moreover, it is forbidden to use ... commodities ... commercially, or to put them into circulation, for applications in which substances can pass from them to food, or the surfaces thereof which do not constitute a health risk to consumers, which do not impair foods in a sensory manner (taste and flavor) and which are technologically unavoidable when the above criteria are complied with."

These requirements are also included in similar form in the food law provisions of all other EU national laws, the USA, etc.

The provisions of food law include so-called positive lists as essential elements. These list the permissible starting materials, either in the form of overall lists or broken down according to polymer classes.

The starting materials, e.g. monomer units, auxiliaries or additives, may be regulated by limit values, such as the quantity used, or the residual content in the article, or specific migration limits.
If unlisted monomer units, auxiliaries or additives are to be used in the production of commodities, applications involving extensive data (material properties, technical application, complete data on migration, toxicological data) have to be submitted for inclusion in the positive lists.

Except in France and the USA, this so far does not apply to colored materials. For more specific questions please contact PTSE-RARPS Product Stewardship if, for example, you intend to use a particular color shade.