Plastics that are approved for use in the food industry

- the food-safe (FS) product world of Murtfeldt

Regulation EC 1935/2004

What‘s allowed in food products? Plasticisers in olive oil or pesto sauces, heavy metals from ceramicglazes, and ink components in drinks: Unappetising or even unhealthy examples of food impurities that really make consumers see red. But in fact, there are justifiable and functional reasons why foods come into contact with certain substances.This might be during production with special machines, during filling, whilst being transported in designated containers, during storage, or whilst being delivered. Nevertheless: There are risks involved in the interaction of foods and impurities, and these risks must be kept to a minimum.Since 2004, Regulation EC 1935/2004 – which is still in force today –has governed these risks. Its most important relevant statement here: Raw materials and items must be manufactured in a way that ensures that – in normal, foreseeable usageconditions – their components only pass into foods in levels that cannot endanger the health of the consumer.

Regulation EC 10/2011


New requirements for manufacturers of plastics: In January 2001, the European Commission adopted a new regulation on materials and items made from plastic and intended to come into contact with foods. This new regulation – Regulation EC 10/2011 – is in force since the 1st of May 2011 and forms part of EC Regulation 1935/2004.

     

Its most important content?

  • A list of source materials (monomers) and a list of auxiliary materials (additives) that can be used to manufacture plastics
  • Migration processes based on limit values and purity specifications
  • Conformity declarations
  • Batch tracking
  • Manufacturing as per EC 2023/2006 (Good Manufacturing Practice)

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty!

Kunststoffe EU-konform von Murtfeldt – Dank niedriger Migrationswerte (stoffspezifische Grenzwerte)

Which source materials and additives can be used?

The substance lists for monomers and additives contain a total of 885 source materials that are approved at EU level. Only these substances may be used to manufacture materials and plastic products in accordance with their specific migration values.

The declaration of conformity

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) - which means ensuring good production by means of quality assurance - emanates from Regulation EC 2023/2006, which is embedded in Regulation EC 1935/2004. According to this concept, manufacturing is a part of a quality system that ensures the safe and traceable production of products in the pharmaceutical and food industries. In practice, an ISO quality system that is already in place must be supplemented by the GMP directives.

Traceability

In other words: Where did the plastic come from? And where is it going to?

The following was mentioned already in the section on the declaration of conformity: Traceability. This refers to the mandatory requirement to identify an item and enable the tracing of its manufacturing, processing, and marketing stages. In each case, at least one prior and one subsequent stage must be identifiable. This is achieved by labelling the plastic and placing information on the manufacturer, date of production, production process etc. on the label.

Overview of Murtfeldt food safe plastics

The pages above have made one thing clear: The new regulation requires companies to make a high investment of time, employee know-how, and capital. Murtfeldt Kunststoffe has risen up to meet these challenges, and was able to conclude the required migration processes for its products that are intended for use in the food industry in August 2011.

From now on, [FS] ("food-safe") will be added to the names of these products.
In addition, on request Murtfeldt is able to carry out individual migration tests for customers for other colours or types of technical plastic.

Overview of Murtfeldt high-performance plastics that are approved for use in the food industry as per Regulation EC 1935/2004 and EC 10/2011

  • Murylat® [FS]® (natural/black)
  • Murylat® SP [FS]® (light-gray)
  • Murinit® SP [FS]® (blue)
  • Murpec® natural [FS]®

       

Overview of Murtfeldt technical plastics that are approved for use in the food industry as per Regulation EC 1935/2004 and 10/2011

  • Murylon® B natural [FS]®
  • Murylon® A natural[FS]®
  • Murytal® C natural [FS]®
  • Murytal® C blue [FS]®
  • Murlubric® blue [FS]®

       

Overview of Murtfeldt materials "S"® Group that are approved for use in the food industry as per Regulation EC 1935/2004 and 10/2011

  • Original Material "S" green® [FS]®
  • Original Material "S"® black antistatic [FS]®
  • Original Material "S"® natural [FS]®
  • Muralen® natural [FS]®
  • Muralen® plus+AB [FS]® (sky-blue)
  • Original Material "S" plus+® AB [FS]® (sky-blue)
  • Original Material "S" plus+® TLS [FS]® (ruby red)
  • Original Material "S" plus+® LF [FS]® (cobalt blue)
  • Original Material "S" plus+® LF ESD [FS]® (black)
  • Original Material "S" plus+® FP [FS]® (pastel blue)

Further Information

For more technical information on our materials that are approved for use in the food industry, please request our general product overview.

If you would like more detailed information on the content of Regulation EC 1935/2004 and EC 10/2011, please visit us at www.murtfeldt.de!