Meaning
Formal compliance evaluation performed at polymer synthesis and moulding facilities verifies that materials and manufacturing steps conform to regulatory safety limits for food contact materials. Conducted against standards such as European Union Regulation 10/2011 or Chinese National Standard GB 4806.1, a food contact plastics audit reviews raw material declarations and migration testing reports across the supply chain. The evaluation assesses both intentional additives and non-intentionally added substances.
Verification stops at the boundary of industrial processing and does not extend to consumer usage conditions.
Documentation Traceability
Chain of custody records link chemical raw material lots directly to final moulded packaging components. Performing a food contact plastics audit requires examining certificates of analysis for monomers, antioxidants, colorants and processing aids added during compounding. Omissions in compliance declarations for raw additives invalidate downstream migration testing certificates.
Traceability gaps force processors to quarantine finished inventory until chemical identity is proven.
Contamination Prevention
Sanitation controls inside injection moulding plants prevent cross-contamination between food grade and industrial resins. During a food contact plastics audit, auditors inspect resin conveyance lines and regrind hoppers. Auxiliary equipment using non-food-compliant lubricants introduces chemical hazards into clean resin streams.
Processing lines running industrial compounds must undergo verified mechanical and solvent cleaning before switching back to food grade production.
Recyclate Verification
Mechanically recycled post-consumer polymers require specialized decontamination processes to meet food contact safety standards. Executing a food contact plastics audit evaluates challenge test data to verify that super-clean recycling technologies remove volatile contaminants below regulatory thresholds. Failing to verify post-consumer input streams during a food contact plastics audit invalidates regulatory compliance across export markets.