{"id":22795,"date":"2026-09-09T08:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T08:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/?p=22795"},"modified":"2026-09-14T15:31:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:31:57","slug":"packaging-plastica-idoneo-contatto-alimenti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/packaging-plastica-idoneo-contatto-alimenti\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic food packaging: what does &quot;contact-safe&quot; mean? | Teamplast"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Plastic food packaging: what does &quot;suitable for food contact&quot; really mean?<\/h2>\n<p>In common parlance we often hear about <strong>\u201cfood grade plastic\u201d<\/strong>. From a technical point of view, however, the correct question is more precise:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is that material and packaging compliant for the contact conditions expected with that specific food?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Food contact suitability is not a generic quality that can be attributed to any bag simply because it is made of polyethylene.<\/p>\n<p>It is the result of legislative requirements, choice of raw materials, conditions of use, good manufacturing practices, documentation and conformity checks.<\/p>\n<h2>The European regulatory framework<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Regulation (EC) No. 1935\/2004<\/strong> establishes the general principle: under normal or foreseeable conditions of use, materials in contact with food must not transfer components in quantities such as to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>endanger health;<\/li>\n<li>unacceptably modify the composition of the food;<\/li>\n<li>deteriorate its organoleptic characteristics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For plastic materials and objects, the <strong>Regulation (EU) No. 10\/2011<\/strong>, with the list of authorised substances, restrictions, migration limits and rules for demonstrating compliance.<\/p>\n<h2>Global migration and specific migration<\/h2>\n<p>The concept of <strong>migration<\/strong> it is central.<\/p>\n<h3>Global migration<\/h3>\n<p>Overall migration considers the overall amount of constituents that can be transferred from the material to the food simulant.<\/p>\n<h3>Specific migration<\/h3>\n<p>Specific migration, on the other hand, concerns certain substances for which individual limits are foreseen.<\/p>\n<p>Tests and evaluations must be consistent with actual or foreseeable use:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>type of food;<\/li>\n<li>contact time;<\/li>\n<li>temperature;<\/li>\n<li>surface area\/volume ratio;<\/li>\n<li>other conditions of use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These variables can change the compliance framework. Therefore, a correct declaration must also describe any limitations on use.<\/p>\n<h2>The declaration of conformity is not a label<\/h2>\n<p>In the marketing stages other than retail, the <strong>Regulation (EU) No. 10\/2011<\/strong> provides for a written declaration of conformity for plastic materials and objects and for intermediate products.<\/p>\n<p>The document must clearly identify the material to which it refers and be supported by supporting documentation.<\/p>\n<p>This is an important point for those who buy packaging:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Asking for a statement does not mean collecting a standard sheet of paper.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It means ensuring that the product, raw materials, conditions of use and documentation are consistent.<\/p>\n<h2>Traceability and GMP<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/LexUriServ\/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:2004R1935:20090807:IT:PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Regulation (EC) No. 1935\/2004<\/strong><\/a> requires the traceability of materials and objects throughout the production and distribution phases.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/IT\/ALL\/?uri=celex%3A32006R2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Regulation (EC) No. 2023\/2006<\/strong><\/a> discipline instead <strong>good manufacturing practices (GMP)<\/strong>, requiring documented quality assurance and control systems.<\/p>\n<p>For printed packaging, GMPs also address the risk of substance transfer from the printed surface to the food contact side, through the substrate or by set-off.<\/p>\n<h2>What should the customer communicate to the manufacturer?<\/h2>\n<p>To properly design a <strong>food packaging<\/strong> It is useful to know at least:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>food or family of foods;<\/li>\n<li>contact time;<\/li>\n<li>temperature;<\/li>\n<li>any heat treatments;<\/li>\n<li>filling mode;<\/li>\n<li>storage;<\/li>\n<li>end use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This information allows you to check whether the proposed solution is consistent with the intended use.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-22796\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infografica-packaging-alimentare-in-plastica-e1787577013428-300x151.png\" alt=\"infografica packaging alimentare in plastica\" width=\"766\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infografica-packaging-alimentare-in-plastica-e1787577013428-300x151.png 300w, https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infografica-packaging-alimentare-in-plastica-e1787577013428-1024x516.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infografica-packaging-alimentare-in-plastica-e1787577013428-768x387.png 768w, https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infografica-packaging-alimentare-in-plastica-e1787577013428-1536x774.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infografica-packaging-alimentare-in-plastica-e1787577013428-18x9.png 18w, https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/infografica-packaging-alimentare-in-plastica-e1787577013428.png 1644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>The Teamplast approach<\/h2>\n<p>In food packaging, quality isn&#039;t limited to the finished bag: it includes raw materials, process, hygiene, traceability, document control, and application knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>For this reason, the technical comparison between the customer and the processor is an essential part of the project.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saying that packaging is &quot;food-safe&quot; is simple. Demonstrating why it&#039;s suitable for its intended use is the work behind that definition.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/contatti\/\"><strong>Do you have a food app?<\/strong><\/a> Together, we define the conditions of use and documentation requirements, evaluating the application&#039;s characteristics and the information needed to identify a solution consistent with the intended use.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Packaging alimentare in plastica: cosa significa davvero \u201cidoneo al contatto con alimenti\u201d? Nel linguaggio comune si sente spesso parlare di \u201cplastica alimentare\u201d. Dal punto di vista tecnico, per\u00f2, la domanda&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22795"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22798,"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22795\/revisions\/22798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teamplast-srl.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}