FDA Materials

Overview of FDA Materials

— FDA-approved plastic materials like tubing and sheets for food processing, and preparation. "FDA compliant" means that a material meets all of the FDA's guidelines for safe, direct contact with food. To be FDA compliant, a material must be able to withstand the environment it will be used in. For example, if a plastic conveyor belt transports food through an extremely hot oven for cooking, it must not undergo any physical changes when exposed to those temperatures. It will also need to hold up through rigorous cleaning and sanitizing cycles, if applicable. Finally, it has to be compatible with the type of food it will be in contact with and not leach any chemicals if a food is acidic, like tomato sauce, or has high moisture content and so on. Several plastics have made it onto the FDA approved materials list for food contact including: HDPE, LDPE, Polypropylene, Polycarbonate, PET, Nylatron® LFG, Nylatron® FG, Tivar® 1000 UHMW, and many more.