What does ˝food compliance˝ mean? How to understand the regulations, decipher the pictograms and get to grips with the HACCP approach… GILAC helps you to better understand food safety and make sure you are complying with the law.
- Terms you need to know
- The food contact compliance certificate in practice...
- Pictogram glossary
- Information on raw materials used
- HACCP expertise
Terms you need to know
Food contact compliance:
A material’s ability to come into contact with a foodstuff without creating interacting with it, in other words, without the material’s molecules migrating towards the foodstuff in question.
Miigration testing:
Tests that measure the inertness of the packaging material that has been certified for food contact by analyzing the eventual component transfer from the material to the food. For plastic materials, two types of migration tests have been established:
- The Overall Migration test applies to the sum of all substances that can migrate from the food contact material to the food (or food simulant). .
- The Specific Migration test applies to an individual substance and is based on toxicological studies researching the precise amount of the molecule that migrates into the foodstuff under certain conditions.
Example of overall migration test for GILAC HACCP containers G119511, G119611, G119711, G119811, G119911: migration by simulating acetic acid 3% at 100°C for 2hrs, migration by simulating vegetal oil at 121°C for 1hrs, migration by simulating ethanol 10% at 100°C for 2hrs (in compliance with EUR 1935/2004 and EN10/2011 standards).
Global migration analyses
| Simulants | Times in hrs | Temperature in °C | Mg/dm3 limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 2 | 100 | 10 |
| A | 2 | 100 | 10 |
| D2 | 1 | 121 | 10 |
Migration analyses of restricted substances
| Names | CAS - EINECS - PM identification | Simulant | Time in days | Temperature in °C | Mg/kg limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phtalates | DBP, BBP, DEHP, DINP+DIDP, DAP | B | 10 | 60 | Fct des phtalates |
| Amines aromatiques primaires |
B | 10 | 60 | 0,01 | |
| Métaux | Al, Ba, Co, Cu, Fe, Li Mn, Zn, Ni | B | 10 | 60 | Fct des métaux |
| n° 740 | B | 10 | 60 | 3 |
Food contact compliance certificate:
Declaration attesting to the conformity of the product purchased, according to European rules and regulations that are specific to France, concerning the material and objects that come into contact with foodstuffs. This global document not only groups together all the migration tests, but also ensures compliance with other aspects, such as no Bisphenol, not even at trace level contaminants
The food contact compliance certificate in practice...
GILAC provides you with a food contact compliance certificate, in accordance with French and European rules and regulations for each product concerned, including the overall and specific migration tests. These can be downloaded on the website. Example of a food contact compliance certificate
The only way of ensuring that you are within the law is to ask GILAC for a complete food contact compliance certificate as well as the specific and overall migration tests carried out by a European Union certified independent French laboratory. This certificate is proof of your supplier’s commitment to the law.
Pictogram glossary
HACCP: Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. Systematic preventative approach to food safety
See the “materials used” table for details
See the “materials used” table for details
Information on raw materials used
GILAC products are for professional use and have been designed using plastic deemed most suitable for each type of use. It is understood that these products must be used in accordance with good hygiene practices in order to reduce the dangers linked to food safety. They must also be used properly under normal use conditions, complying with set temperature ranges, volume and load capacity etc. following table lists the materials used by GILAC:
| Abbreviation | Material | Density | Temperature | Elasticity module | Shore D Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEBD | Low density Polyethylene | 0,91-0,93 g/cm3 | -15°C << +60°C | 200-300 MPa | 40 - 47 |
| PEHD | High density Polyethylene | 0,94-0,965 g/cm3 | -40°C << +90°C | 800-1200 MPa | 68 |
| PP | Polypropylene | 0,90-092 g/cm3 | -20°C << +90°C | 600-1500 MPa | 69 |
| PS | Polystyrene | 1,04 g/cm3 | -40°C << +60°C | 1700 MPa | 73 - 99 |
*All information is for reference only in standard conditions of use. The temperature ranges indicated are for generic materials related to exposure times and may vary substantially depending on the material references used. Please contact GILAC for specific use. Users shall be wholly responsible for the use of all GILAC products.