As of 2025 the global food grade plastic market is valued at around 37.2 billion USD. Food Grade plastics are non-toxic, chemically inert and durable plastics that are deemed safe to be used in contact with food without posing harm or health risk to humans. Food grade plastics are used to manufacture food safe plastic containers and other plastic products used in the processing, packaging and consumption of food. Whether you are manufacturing plastic containers for food safe applications or you are sourcing plastic containers for use in food applications, it is important to understand the regulations and testing requirements.
Applications of Plastics in Food
Plastics get used in different aspects of food from the plastic parts of tools and containers in the cultivation of food crops to the packaging of food products and even down to the last stage of cutlery used in consuming the food and bins used in processing the waste from consuming the food. Plastics are used for food processing, packaging and consumption as they are in our everyday lives. As of 2025 the global food grade plastic market is valued at around 37.2 billion USD. By 2032 this is projected to rise to 54.5 billion USD. Food grade plastics remain a prominent part of the increasingly urbanized world as they serve an essential role in the global society.
Food Grade Vs Food Safe
These are two terms that often get mixed up so it is worth clarifying here. The term food grade refers to a plastic formulation that has been vetted and deemed suited for application where it comes in contact with food. Food safe further asserts that the food grade plastic is being used in an application that is suited for the specified application. Food grade plastics are processed in food safe products such as for storing hot or cold food, use for cooking and microwaving or safe to store liquids such as oils for specified period of time.Such that a plastic container might be made from a food grade plastic but for the container itself in its final form to be food safe, the processing must meet specific requirements for the intended application.It is important to make the distinction between a plastic that is safe to use in direct contact with food and one that can be used as a secondary packaging. Today more advanced packaging is looking at edible packaging where the packaging can be eaten alongside or after consuming the food. Common conventional examples of edible packaging are ice cream cones and hot dog films. One company recently introduced edible water balls where water is packaged within an edible film.On the other end are materials that are only suited as secondary or tertiary packaging for food. For example the shrink wrap for packing beverage bottles and packed food items. These are placed over a primary packaging and never come into direct contact with the food
Which Plastics are Considered Food Grade?
The most common food grade plastics are HDPE, PP, LDPE and PET. PP is commonly used in applications such as takeaway and microwaveable containers, HDPE is commonly used for packaging of oils, butter and milk, LDPE is used as plastic film wraps and flexible plastic bags and PET is commonly used as beverage or drinking water bottles. Polystyrene (PS) has been widely used as egg cartons however, this is being phased out in many parts of the world due to the difficulty in recycling PS.Note that although these are the plastics generally approved as food grade plastics, for a plastic to be certified as food grade, the production process and final product needs to be tested and approved by the appropriate body.The above refers to the classes of plastics that have generally been approved as food grade.Other plastics such as PEEK, PTFE are regarded as food safe however they are high-grade engineering plastics used for food processing or as part of machinery where they replace materials like stainless steel. These plastics have high temperature resistance and chemical inertness that make them well suited for such applications. A common application of PTFE is in no-stick cooking pots.
Regulations on the use of plastics in food processing and packaging
Plastic use in food is regulated across the world. Regulatory bodies set migration limits and provide certification for compliance. They also approve certain plastics for use in food. Plastic used for food processing and packaging must meet certain regulations depending on the location. In the US and EU these are FDA and EFSA regulations. There are also regulations governing international standards (ISO).These standards are according to the type of application and the condition of applications. They govern the production process as well as the standard of the final product. The production must abide by good manufacturing practices and consideration must be given to the intended application. Factors such as if the material is in contact with hot or cold food, and sterilization requirements such as irradiation, chemical or thermal are to be considered.An example of such regulations is the 1935 and 2004 EU regulation on materials and articles that are intended for food contact. The regulation ensures that no harmful compounds that would harm humans or cause health risks are released from the materials used in food packaging. The regulations include requirements for labeling, approved materials and other requirements that manufacturers must abide by in order to be certified food grade. In recent years there have been new regulations focusing on plastic packaging in general and on specific types of plastics.Other international regulatory bodies that have established testing and certification programs for plastics in food container applications include; ASTM, NSF, BRC, Health Canada, Codex and FSANZ in Australia and New Zealand
Testing of Food Grade Plastics
In order to market and sell food grade plastics, the products must meet the regulatory requirement and be duly certified. Failure to meet the requirements means the product does not receive certification and this leads to great loss. The regulatory bodies provide guidelines to help manufacturers meet the requirements to get certified. There are also testing labs and consultancy services that help assess your product and production line to help you ensure you meet the requirements and take away any hassles. Some of these tests are taken into consideration when setting the “use by” date for some packaged goods.Below are the key tests carried out to make sure plastic containers meet the requirement to be certified as food grade.
Migration Test
This is a test to ensure that no harmful chemical leaches from the food container into the food product it is used to package. Like other materials, plastics have the tendency to leach the additives used in them into the food products they are used to package. This can occur over a long period of time and may be accelerated under certain conditions such as sun exposure or heat. For these reasons regulatory bodies set limits for the maximum amount of leachate acceptable and these are usually represented in parts per million (ppm). The allowed ppm can be as low as 0.1 ppm for certain chemicals.
Chemical Resistance
The plastic must be chemically inert and not react with the food product it is used to store. Since the food products may be a combination of several substances, the chemical tests cover a wide range of chemicals such as acids, alkali, solvents, oils and others.
Mechanical Properties
To effectively contain a product, the plastic container must meet the standard strength and toughness required to perform this function. The main mechanical test for food containers is the impact resistance test. This ensures that the food container can withstand the impact force it is likely to experience during use. Abrasion and wear tests are also carried out since most food containers will experience significant levels of wear and abrasion during their usage.
Microbial Safety Test
These tests ensure that the food grade plastics offer a level of resistance to microbial growth. Food grade containers should not inherently promote contamination of the food. For this purpose some food grade products contain additives that serve as biocides to inhibit growth of microbes on the plastic containers.
Identifying and Labelling Food Grade Plastics
Other than the resin identification number where PP, HDPE and PET are identified with the numbers; 5, 4 and 1 respectively in the middle of or underneath the chasing arrow symbol, food grade plastics also carry the label of a glass and fork symbol indicating that the plastic product is food grade.
Food Grade Recycled Plastics
Until recently, recycled plastics were simply not allowed for food contact. This was in part due to the fact that at the time the technology and process for ensuring recycled plastics can be processed to meet food safety standards. However in recent years, the plastic recycling technology has seen significant advancement and recycled plastics have been processed into food grade plastics.
Conclusion
For plastic containers intended for application in food, the safest bets are HDPE and PP with PET best suited for water and beverages. Nonetheless, manufacturers producing food-grade plastic containers must ensure that their products meet the regulatory requirements for specific region(s). This requires having the right production line set up and carrying out quality assurance and testing to ensure the products meet regulatory requirements.
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