Legal regulations for plastics in contact with food in Europe

Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 regulates the requirements for objects in contact with food in Europe. It is concretised for plastics by Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011. These regulations have created a standardised legal basis throughout Europe for articles, in particular plastics, in contact with food.

The requirements of these regulations go far beyond the specifications of the old Directive 2002/72/EC. Whereas previously all plastics whose monomers, additives and other starting materials complied with the directive were considered to be compatible with foodstuffs, their safety must now also be proven by means of so-called migration tests and confirmed in a traceable manner

The migration tests analyse which components contaminate the food and in what quantity. Certain limit values must not be exceeded. The limit values depend on the weight (mg/kg) and are different for the various food categories (meat products, dairy products, fats and oils, meat, etc.).

According to these new regulations, the safety of an individual plastic for contact with a certain quantity and category of food must be proven by means of tests. The conditions of use can be restricted to certain temperature ranges, for example. At the same time, a corresponding traceability of the material back to the raw material is required, making it clear that the European regulations are very extensive restrictions, compliance with which must be ensured above all by those who place the product with food contact on the market. On request, components can be manufactured from appropriately qualified material, otherwise compliance with the limit values on the component must be verified individually, taking into account the application.