Short answer: request a document matrix for the exact SKU, material, manufacturing site, intended food and destination market. A logo on a sales sheet is not enough to prove scope.
Food-contact requirements
United States
The FDA regulates substances used in food-contact materials through applicable regulations and authorization pathways. Intended food type and conditions of use matter. “FDA approved” is often an imprecise marketing phrase; buyers should ask which regulatory basis supports each component and use.
European Union
Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 provides the general framework for materials intended to contact food, while good manufacturing practice and applicable national or material-specific requirements also matter. Product testing and declarations should match the intended use.
LFGB
LFGB is commonly requested by German buyers as part of a compliance and testing package. Confirm the laboratory, tested item, food simulants, conditions and report validity.
Compostability references
EN 13432 is widely referenced for industrial composting of packaging in Europe. BPI certification is commonly used for commercially compostable products in North America. OK Compost Home addresses specified home-composting conditions. These claims do not mean the same thing, and local acceptance still depends on available facilities.
PFAS documentation
Use precise language such as “no intentionally added PFAS” and review the test method, detection limits, sample identity and market rules. In the United States, FDA states that PFAS grease-proofing substances for paper food packaging are no longer being sold into the market and related notifications were made no longer effective after abandonment.
Certification verification checklist
- Certificate owner and manufacturing site
- Product name, SKU or covered product family
- Material and coating/additive system
- Issue, expiry and surveillance status
- Standard, test method and laboratory
- Permitted claims and disposal language
Primary sources
U.S. FDA food-contact resources · U.S. FDA PFAS food-contact update · European Commission food-contact materials.
Grandlink Hopes certification position
Grandlink Hopes maintains verified FDA food-contact compliance and BPI certification support. All products are covered by verified EN 13432 and FSC documentation. Certificate details are supplied during product approval so the buyer can match the evidence to the selected item and procurement file.
What each reference tells a buyer
- FDA food-contact compliance: addresses the regulatory basis for substances used in contact with food and the intended conditions of use.
- BPI certification: supports commercial compostability claims for covered products in North America.
- EN 13432: defines requirements for packaging recoverable through industrial composting and biodegradation in Europe.
- FSC: supports responsible forest-based sourcing and chain-of-custody claims for covered material flows.
These references are complementary, not substitutes. A compostability certificate does not establish food-contact suitability, and food-contact compliance does not prove compostability.
How to build a procurement evidence file
- Record the selected SKU, material, color and manufacturing location.
- Define food type, contact time, temperature and destination market.
- Collect the relevant certificate or report and record its owner, scope and validity.
- Match the tested sample or product family to the item on the purchase order.
- Save the approved label and disposal language used by the importer or brand.
- Set a review trigger for material, coating, tooling, factory or regulatory changes.
Claims that need careful wording
Avoid presenting “FDA certified” as though FDA issues a universal product certificate. A more accurate statement is FDA food-contact compliant, supported by the applicable regulatory documentation. Likewise, “compostable” should specify the standard and the intended composting environment. “FSC” should be connected to the covered material and chain-of-custody documentation rather than treated as a product-performance test.
Questions buyers often ask
Does BPI certification mean home compostable?
No. BPI certification relates to commercial composting requirements for covered products; it should not be presented as proof of home compostability.
Does EN 13432 cover food-contact safety?
No. EN 13432 addresses compostability and packaging recovery requirements, while food-contact safety follows a separate regulatory pathway.
When should certificates be rechecked?
Recheck when the product, fiber recipe, additive or coating, production site, certificate status, destination market or intended claim changes.
Use the food packaging FAQ for concise procurement answers or request the relevant documentation with your RFQ.
How procurement, quality and marketing should share evidence
Compliance documents often fail after approval because they remain in one department. Procurement should link the evidence to the supplier and purchase specification; quality should control test reports and change notifications; marketing should use only claims supported by the approved scope. A simple document register can record the SKU, claim, document owner, certificate or report number, issue date, expiry or review date and approved wording.
When selling into several countries, create one row per SKU and market instead of assuming a global statement. The same physical package may need different disposal language because commercial composting access, labeling rules and importer responsibilities vary.
What to do when a document does not match
Do not solve a mismatch by renaming the product on a sales sheet. Ask the supplier or certificate owner to explain the covered family, material and production site in writing. If the evidence still cannot be connected to the purchased item, treat the claim as unverified until a suitable report, listing or certificate is available.