SGS Finland Oy Designated as Own-Check Laboratory Under the Food Act

The Food Agency has appointed SGS Finland Oy as an own-check laboratory for contact material testing.

The safety of packaging materials and other contact materials is an important part of food safety, as all food comes into contact with various materials and accessories at some point.

The range of food contact materials is wide. The term refers to materials and supplies that are intended to come into contact (directly or indirectly) food. These include, for example, food packaging, tableware and cookware utensils, small kitchen food preparation equipment, disposable containers, disposable gloves, but also food industry manufacturing equipment, e.g. pipes, hoses, gaskets, pumps and food containers and tanker trucks. Lacquers, adhesives, and printing inks, which are used in the production of contact materials, also belong to contact materials. The contact material can therefore be, for example, plastic, paper, cardboard, ceramics, cellophane, rubber, silicone, ion exchange resins, wood or stone and even leather or fabric.

The safety and compliance of contact materials consists of several different factors, all of which must be fulfilled. The contact material must be chemically and microbiologically safe and otherwise comply with the requirements of legislation. The general requirement of Framework Regulation 1935/2004 is that the chemical composition of the contact material must be as permanent as possible. 
Constituents shall not be transferred from the material to the food in quantities which could endanger human health.

Also, the composition of the food or its smell, taste, or appearance must not change in unacceptable way due to the contact material. Safety is also related to the fact that the contact materials are traceable.

Own-checking differs from official monitoring

The safety of food contact materials is the responsibility of all operators in the supply chain: The manufacturers, importers, and distributors of the material, as well as food industry operators. The conformity of the products can be monitored both by the authorities and as own-checking.

Contact materials are subject to own-check. According to the Food Act, operators in the food and contact material industry must have a system that enables the operator to identify and manage the risks associated with its operations and ensure that the operations meet the requirements set in the food regulations. Own-check is carried out by following the processes of the quality control system. Testing is one of the key means to demonstrate that compliance is achieved, and it should be included as part of the operator's quality control system.

How can SGS help?

The own-check samples required to be tested in the food regulations must be tested in a designated own-check laboratory, an official laboratory, or a national reference laboratory. SGS is currently the only own-check laboratory designated by the Food Agency to offer contact material tests.

As a designated own-check laboratory, SGS can offer and coordinate statutory contact material examinations of food industry operators and contact material operators. We offer contact material studies for various materials that come into contact with food, such as plastic, ceramics and cardboard. Testing can verify the chemical safety of the material. Common contact material studies include, amongst other, the testing of total migration, and depending on the material, the testing of different substance-specific migration tests, such as the migration of heavy metals. Testing requirements vary depending on the material and its intended use. At SGS, our experts can help you define the necessary tests for the product, and carry out the tests smoothly and reliably in our international laboratory network, which enables products to be tested also close to the production plant.

Do you want more information about testing contact materials? Contact us today!

Sara Koivisto
Specialist
p: +358 44 7550 852