Food Contact Materials FCMs Compliance (Materials and Objects intended to be in contact with Food)

CSI, active since the 1960s in plastics research and application, has over time become a national reference in the field of FCMs (Materials and Objects in Contact with Food). The know-how built up over time is made available to players in the supply chain for compliance with international standards or provisions in accordance with Regulations 1935/2004 and 2023/2006.

CSI is now a qualified reference in certifying the conformity of any kind of packaging, managing any type of:

• Materials regulated on national territory by the Italian Ministerial Decree of 21/03/73 and subsequent updates such as paper, steel, aluminum, rubber, silicones, glass, chromed band, tinplate; materials regularly regulated by other countries around the world (LFGB, BfR, FDA, Code of China, Japan Food Law ...).
• Materials regulated at EU level such as plastic in accordance with Regulation (EU) 10/2011, regenerated cellulose in accordance with Directive 2007/42/EC and ceramic in accordance with Directive 2005/31/EC.
• Materials not specifically regulated such as metallic coatings, textiles, wood or innovative materials.

All tests are performed in accordance with the main technical standards such as UNI, ISO, DIN, GB, ASTM, BS or with appropriately validated in-house methods.

The process for verifying compliance in the Food Contact area includes:

• evaluation of supporting documentation and compositional compliance with the positive lists of national and international legislation;
• drafting of analytical plans: overall migrations, specific migrations in the various simulants, determination of additives, metal transfer, migration of dyes, NIAS (substances not intentionally added), residual solvents and verification of the set-off effect;
• sensory evaluation according to Robinson's test or according to classical smell and taste tests in compliance with UNI 10192, DIN 10955 or other relevant technical standards;
• support for the preparation of the Declaration of Conformity for contact with food.

To meet the legislative requirements regarding the presence of Non Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) in packaging intended for contact with food, the CSI laboratory has developed a series of analytical methods capable of detecting numerous chemical species that may be present due to molecular degeneration, cross-contamination or other unidentified causes. The risk assessment allows to qualify and, if necessary, to quantify these substances, always considering the application area of the material or object, also from a Good Manufacturing Practices management perspective, relying on internationally recognized risk assessment principles. The process of evaluating Non Intentionally Added Substances aims to return a "turn-key" result, through a "post run" evaluation using validated software and toxicological databases.