Grandlink Hopes

Short answer: start with food-contact safety, then add packaging, chemical, labeling, producer-responsibility and end-of-life requirements for each destination. Confirm obligations with the importer and qualified local advisers.

European Union

All food-contact materials placed on the EU market must comply with the general framework in Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, alongside good manufacturing practice and applicable specific or national rules. The PPWR generally applies from 12 August 2026 and adds broader packaging requirements. Procurement teams should track both product safety and packaging-system obligations.

United Kingdom

UK food-contact and packaging requirements are separate from EU market access. Extended producer responsibility guidance covers affected organizations, packaging data, fees and recyclability assessment. Importers should determine who is the obligated producer and what data must be collected for each reporting period.

Australia

Australian buyers should verify food-contact suitability, customer or retailer specifications, packaging claims and state or territory restrictions that affect the intended format. Compostability language should identify the relevant standard and realistic collection pathway. Local legal and industry guidance should be checked at the time of launch.

Middle East

Requirements vary substantially by country and product. Buyers should confirm food-contact documentation, labeling language, importer registration, conformity procedures and any national restrictions before production. A report accepted in one Gulf market should not automatically be assumed valid in another.

Build a compliance matrix

• Country and responsible importer
• SKU, material, color and manufacturing site
• Food type, temperature and conditions of use
• Food-contact legal basis and test reports
• PFAS or restricted-substance requirements
• Compostability or disposal claim and certificate scope
• Label, language and producer-responsibility data
• Document owner, issue date and next review date

Supplier communication

Send the matrix with the RFQ and require written confirmation before sample approval. If a product, fiber recipe, coating, mold or production site changes, trigger a document review rather than assuming the previous evidence still applies.

Primary sources

European Commission food-contact materials · European Commission PPWR overview · UK packaging EPR guidance.

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

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

1. Record the selected SKU, material, color and manufacturing location.
2. Define food type, contact time, temperature and destination market.
3. Collect the relevant certificate or report and record its owner, scope and validity.
4. Match the tested sample or product family to the item on the purchase order.
5. Save the approved label and disposal language used by the importer or brand.
6. 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.