APPLICATION 01
Food packaging
Assess complete constructions, including layers, closures and coatings.
EUROPEAN UNION & EEA / FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS
Understand the contact.
Protect the food experience.
Assess packaging, kitchenware and food-processing contact surfaces against the relevant EU framework and material rules, connecting intended use, composition, migration evidence and supply-chain documentation into a coherent compliance file.
Product assessment · Documentation · Coordination
FOOD CONTACT MATERIALS
European Union & EEA
Food Contact
SERVICE AT A GLANCEEU Food Contact ComplianceEuropean Union & EEA
YOUR MARKETEuropean Union & EEA
YOUR FOCUSFood contact materials
OUR APPROACHConnected compliance support
FROM THE DETAILSTo the
possibilities.CLARITY AT EVERY STEP
possibilities.CLARITY AT EVERY STEP
Built around your product.
Focused on your next market.
Focused on your next market.
01 / THE BIG PICTURE
Understand the requirements.
See the opportunity.
Food contact compliance concerns materials and articles that contact food during manufacture, storage, preparation or serving. The EU framework requires them to avoid unsafe transfer of constituents and unacceptable effects on food. Good manufacturing practice supports consistent production of the assessed material or article.
There is no single EU certificate that covers every material and every food use. Plastics, ceramics and certain other materials have specific EU measures, while national provisions can matter where harmonised rules are absent. A meaningful assessment starts with the material and its foreseeable conditions of contact.
Explore the requirements02 / WHERE IT APPLIES
Different products.
A shared focus on compliance.
Start with your product’s intended use and category. Here are some of the applications covered in this service.
APPLICATION 02
Kitchenware
Define heating, repeated use and food-contact conditions.
APPLICATION 03
Processing equipment
Review contact surfaces and their intended operating conditions.
These are examples. The applicable route depends on your product specifications and target market.
03 / THE PATH FORWARD
From assessment
to your next market.
Move from the first assessment to a documented compliance plan, with clear responsibilities and evidence for your product.
Describe use
Define food types, temperature and contact duration.
Map materials
Identify relevant EU and national provisions.
Build evidence
Review composition and appropriate migration testing.
Document supply
Align declarations, instructions and traceability.
One connected workflow, with your product at the center.
Create your product brief04 / EXPLORE THE DETAILS
Your requirements.
The details, made clear.
Open a topic for guidance on scope, requirements, documentation and practical considerations.
6 topics in this guide
CHAPTER 01Define the intended food contactSpecify food types, contact duration, temperature, repeated-use conditions and the exposed surface. A container for dry ambient…
Specify food types, contact duration, temperature, repeated-use conditions and the exposed surface. A container for dry ambient storage cannot automatically support a claim for hot fatty food. Record any microwave, dishwasher or freezer claims before selecting an assessment programme.
- Include lids, seals, coatings, inks and adhesives in the review.
CHAPTER 02Identify material-specific legislationApply the general framework and GMP requirements, then identify the measures relevant to each material. Plastic materials have a…
Apply the general framework and GMP requirements, then identify the measures relevant to each material. Plastic materials have a detailed composition and migration regime. Where EU-specific measures are absent, review destination-country rules rather than assuming that a plastics report establishes conformity for metals, paper or rubber.
- Check current amendments affecting substances and permitted uses.
CHAPTER 03Review composition and supplier informationGather formulations or suitable confidential supplier disclosures, substance identities and restrictions relevant to intended…
Gather formulations or suitable confidential supplier disclosures, substance identities and restrictions relevant to intended use. Review additives, processing aids and possible transfer from non-food-contact layers. A food-grade marketing statement is useful only when its supporting scope and limitations can be established.
- Track formulation codes, manufacturing locations and supplier revisions.
CHAPTER 04Design migration testing around actual useThe test programme should represent the intended food contact through appropriate simulants, exposure conditions and analytical…
The test programme should represent the intended food contact through appropriate simulants, exposure conditions and analytical targets. Discuss worst-case use with the laboratory and document why it is representative. A result without a traceable specimen and stated conditions cannot support every future configuration.
- Consider repeated use and any applicable specific migration restrictions.
CHAPTER 05Prepare declarations and traceabilityFor plastics, the required declaration of compliance links supply-chain information to supporting documentation. Other materials…
For plastics, the required declaration of compliance links supply-chain information to supporting documentation. Other materials follow their applicable rules. Connect declarations, test evidence and batch identification, and provide safe-use instructions where needed so the customer does not extend the article beyond its assessed conditions.
- Ensure product names and material codes remain consistent across documents.
CHAPTER 06Control manufacturing and changesMake the assessed composition reproducible through documented production controls. Review changes to resin, colourant, supplier,…
Make the assessed composition reproducible through documented production controls. Review changes to resin, colourant, supplier, process temperature or recycled content before relying on an existing report. Keep a decision record showing whether a change affects migration, intended use or the declaration supplied to customers.
- Define how complaints and traceability queries reach the technical team.
No matching topics
Try “testing”, “documents” or “process”.
Official sources & further reading
European Commission: food contact materials European Commission: food contact legislation EU plastics regulation, consolidated textRequirements vary by product, intended use and market. Confirm the applicable standards and current regulatory route before proceeding.
05 / A LITTLE MORE CLARITY
Your questions.
Our starting points.
Practical answers to common questions about EU Food Contact Compliance.
01Is FDA compliance sufficient for the EU?
No. EU framework, material-specific and relevant national requirements need their own assessment.
02Does every material require the same declaration?
No. Documentation duties depend on the applicable material rules; plastics have specific declaration requirements.
03Can one report cover all food types?
Only where its testing and justification support the intended food categories and conditions of use.
04Does a food-contact symbol mean approval?
No. It communicates intended use; it does not replace composition, manufacturing and safety evidence.
KEEP YOUR POSSIBILITIES OPEN
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LET’S PLAN WHAT’S NEXT
Your product.
A world of potential.
Turn your product details and ambitions into a clear starting point.
Create my product briefService marks and organization names identify the standards and regulatory topics discussed. They do not indicate certification of, affiliation with, or endorsement of Complise Global.