SG 097.22
Malaysia has announced a guideline to assist stakeholders with the nation’s voluntary certification of food contact products. The guidance details procedural and specification requirements.
In June 2022, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, KKM) announced a guideline on Food Grade Certification application procedures for food contact materials and articles. This certification, which contains the Food Grade Certification logo, is voluntary and is valid for three years for products that meet the certification requirements.
The guideline sets forth the procedural and specification requirements for all food grade products used in the preparation, processing, packaging, storage, delivery or exposure of food. It:
- Details the application criteria and procedures for application and registration
- Requires applicants to send food grade products to a laboratory accredited by the Malaysian Standards Department or equivalent
- Indicates that gloves are made of seven main materials – natural rubber latex, synthetic rubber (synthetic latex), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), neoprene and nitriles, and these are to comply with the chemical requirements in ISO 14285:2014(E) ‘Rubber and plastic gloves for food services – Limits for extractable substances’ (see Table 1 below)
- Requires thermal bags to comply with international standards, Regulation (EU) 10/2011 ‘Food Contact Plastics’ and Regulation (EU) 1907/2006 ‘Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)’
- Prohibits the manufacture of the inner layers of thermal bags using vinyl, PVC or other materials where their content can be harmful
- Requires food contact plastics to comply with the specific migration of seven metals (Annex 3, see Table 2 below) and specified substances (Annex 4)
- Permits the use of colorants specified under Register I and Register II, Seventh Schedule to Food Regulations 1985 (Annex 5)
- Permits the use of diluents under Register III, Seventh Schedule to Food Regulations 1985 (Annex 6)
- Provides the Food Grade certification logo
Highlights of the chemical requirements for gloves and the specific migration of seven metals for food contact plastics are summarized in Tables 1 and 2.
Guideline – Food Grade Certification, 2022 Edition Section 4.1.3 Gloves (per guideline text) – requirements based on ISO 14285:2014 (E) | |
|---|---|
| Extractable heavy metals | 0.05 µg/mL each of arsenic and cadmium 0.5 µg/mL each of chromium and lead 15.0 µg/mL zinc |
| Potassium permanganate consumption | 10.0 µg/mL |
| Evaporation residue | 100 µg/mL each of distilled water and 10% ethanol |
| Phthalates | 0.1% total content for PVC gloves (BBP, DBP, DEHP, DIDP, DINP and DNOP) |
Table 1
Guideline – Food Grade Certification, 2022 Edition Annex 3 ‘Maximum allowed rate for the release of chemicals from plastic materials and articles’ (per guideline text) | |
|---|---|
| Barium | ≤ 1 mg/kg |
| Cobalt | ≤ 0.05 mg/kg |
| Copper | ≤ 5 mg/kg |
| Iron | ≤ 48 mg/kg |
| Lithium | ≤ 0.6 mg/kg |
| Manganese | ≤ 0.6 mg/kg |
| Zinc | ≤ 25 mg/kg |
Table 2
Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Phthalate | CAS |
|---|---|---|
| BBP | Butyl benzyl phthalate | 85-68-7 |
| DBP | Di-butyl phthalate | 84-74-2 |
| DEHP | Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate | 117-81-7 |
| DINP | Di-isononyl phthalate | 28553-12-0 |
| DIDP | Di-iso-decyl phthalate | 26761-40-0 |
| DNOP | Di-n-octyl phthalate | 117-84-0 |
SGS technical experts have extensive knowledge and testing experience in materials and articles in contact with food. They work to ensure that your products meet the appropriate regulations for food contact materials, paving the way for compliance. From overall migration tests to expert advice on emerging regulations, compliance issues and documentation review, SGS is the partner to trust. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Discover more on our website.
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