Service Background

      As an EU Member State, Germany’s administration of food contact materials generally follows the basic requirements of the EU Framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. For certain materials where harmonised EU-specific measures have not been established, Germany has developed an administrative system combining general EU regulations, German national legislation and technical reference documents.

      The German Food and Feed Code (Lebensmittel- und Futtermittelgesetzbuch, LFGB) serves as an important legal foundation for the safety of food, feed and consumer goods. The Consumer Goods Ordinance (Bedarfsgegenständeverordnung, BedGgstV) sets supplementary provisions for selected food contact materials and implements relevant EU requirements. Meanwhile, the BfR Recommendations on Materials for Food Contact issued by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) carry high reference value for the evaluation of non-harmonised materials such as paper and paperboard, silicone rubber and rubber. Although the BfR Recommendations themselves are not legally binding, they normally constitute critical technical references for compliance assessment and regulatory enforcement on the German market.

      In accordance with relevant German food contact material regulations, technical documents and client requirements, provides enterprises with regulation interpretation, testing assessment and compliance technical support. We help identify applicable requirements for target markets and conduct corresponding conformity verification.

Scope of Service

Tableware: knives, forks, bowls, chopsticks, spoons, plates, water cups, vacuum flasks, mugs, drinking straws, etc.

Kitchen utensils: pots, turners, cutting boards, food storage containers, airtight jars, baking moulds, etc.

Infant feeding articles: baby bottles, sippy cups, baby feeding tableware, etc.

Packaging materials and containers: packaging bags, takeaway food containers, disposable lunch boxes, plastic wrap, aluminium foil, etc.

Domestic kitchen appliances (food contact parts): coffee makers, juicers, blenders, electric kettles, rice cookers, ovens, etc.

Commercial food processing equipment (food contact parts): internal components of commercial equipment, food contact conveyor belts, diversion pipelines, etc.

Common Regulatory / Guideline References for Testing

● Polyvinyl chloride: BfR Recommendation II

● Polyethylene: BfR Recommendation III

● Polypropylene: BfR Recommendation VII

● Polystyrene: BfR Recommendation V

● Styrene copolymers and graft polymers: BfR Recommendation VI

● Polyamides: BfR Recommendation X

● Polyethylene terephthalate: BfR Recommendation XVII

● Silicone rubber: BfR Recommendation XV

● Ceramics, glass and glass ceramics: DIN 51032

● Metals and alloys: EDQM Technical Guide—Metals and alloys used in food contact materials and articles

● Non-stick coatings: BfR Recommendation LI

● Rubber: BfR Recommendation XXI, XXI/1, XXI/2

● Paper and paperboard: BfR Recommendation XXXVI, XXXVI/1, XXXVI/2, XXXVI/3