Selling kitchenware and other food contact articles: the rules by market
The rules kitchenware and other food contact articles must meet before going on sale in the EU, the UK, Switzerland, the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia: who writes them, who enforces them, and what has to be registered, tested and labelled, with the official source for each. Compliant Always shows which of them apply to your product.
Europe
- European UnionIn the EU, kitchenware, tableware and containers that touch food must meet Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and be made under good manufacturing practice. Plastics follow Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, with a Union list, migration limits and a declaration of compliance; ceramics have lead and cadmium limits; materials without EU measures may face national rules.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in the EU
- United KingdomIn Great Britain, kitchenware and other food contact articles follow assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004: they must not transfer their constituents to food in harmful amounts, and are labelled for food contact and traceable. Plastics, ceramics and coatings have specific limits. The Food Standards Agency oversees the rules; Northern Ireland follows EU law.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in the UK
- SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, materials and articles that touch food are utility articles under food law. The LGV sets the general rule that they may release substances only in safe, technically unavoidable amounts, and the FDHA ordinance on materials and articles in contact with food sets labelling, good manufacturing practice, material limits and declarations of conformity. Cantonal authorities enforce.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in Switzerland
The Americas
- United StatesIn the US, the FDA regulates substances in cookware, tableware and containers that may migrate into food. Each must be listed in 21 CFR 174 to 186, GRAS, prior-sanctioned, exempt under the threshold of regulation, or under an effective food contact notification. Ceramicware has FDA action levels for extractable lead; decorative pieces are marked 'Not for Food Use'.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in the US
- CanadaIn Canada, kitchenware sold to consumers is a consumer product under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, administered by Health Canada. Glazed ceramics and glassware have lead and cadmium release limits, kettles a lead release limit, and polycarbonate baby bottles containing BPA are prohibited. Food packaging falls under Division 23 of the Food and Drug Regulations.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in Canada
- MexicoIn Mexico, glazed pottery, ceramics, porcelain and glass for food and drink meet NOM-231-SSA1-2016 limits on soluble lead and cadmium, or carry a legend that they are not for food use. The health regulation sets general rules for materials in contact with food, and NOM-050-SCFI-2004 sets the commercial information on the pack.Selling kitchenware and food contact products in Mexico
- BrazilIn Brazil, packaging and equipment that touch food follow ANVISA's RDC 91/2001: positive lists of permitted substances, migration limits and good manufacturing practice, with specific rules for each material. Household food equipment is exempt from ANVISA regularisation. Metal pots and pans and pressure cookers also need INMETRO certification and registration before sale.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in Brazil
Asia and the Pacific
- AustraliaIn Australia, the Food Standards Code requires food businesses to use packaging fit for its purpose and unlikely to contaminate food, and Standard 1.4.1 limits some contaminants in food. Children's eating utensils with more than 1% DEHP are banned, and imported china and kitchenware need a trade description.Selling kitchenware and food contact materials in Australia
- New ZealandNew Zealand has no separate approval for kitchenware. MBIE lists the Ministry for Primary Industries as the agency for items in contact with food. Food businesses manage hazards from food contact materials under their programmes, and the Food Standards Code sets limits on contaminants from packaging. Goods sold to consumers must be safe and described accurately.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in New Zealand
- JapanIn Japan, utensils, containers and packaging that touch food fall under the Food Sanitation Act. They must not harm health, must meet MHLW's standards, and synthetic resins must use substances on the positive list in force since 1 June 2020. Imports are notified at a quarantine station, and many kitchen items carry a quality label.Selling kitchenware and food contact materials in Japan
- South KoreaIn South Korea, utensils, tableware and food packaging that touch food are "apparatus" or "containers and packages" under the Food Sanitation Act, regulated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). They meet the MFDS standards and specifications for their material, carry material and business labelling, and are declared and inspected on import like food.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in South Korea
- SingaporeIn Singapore, food contact articles that need no electricity, such as plates, cups, pots, pans and water bottles, are regulated by the Singapore Food Agency under the Sale of Food Act 1973 and the Food Regulations. Importers register with SFA and take a permit per consignment. Electric kitchen appliances fall to the Consumer Product Safety Office instead.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in Singapore
- IndiaIn India, much kitchenware falls under Quality Control Orders made under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. Stainless steel utensils, aluminium utensils, pressure cookers, potable water bottles, insulated flasks and kitchen appliances conform to Indian Standards and bear the BIS Standard Mark under licence. Packs carry the Legal Metrology declarations.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in India
The Middle East
- United Arab EmiratesIn the UAE, articles meant to touch food fall under Cabinet Resolution No. 20 of 2015. They meet the technical standards in its annex, are made under good manufacturing practice, carry "suitable for food contact" wording or the food contact symbol with use instructions, and hold an ECAS certificate. Dubai checks migration test reports at the port.Selling food contact materials and kitchenware in the UAE
- Saudi ArabiaIn Saudi Arabia, kitchen tools and equipment that touch food meet the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) Technical Regulation for Food Safety of Tools and Appliances Used in the Kitchen. They must stay within the migration limits of the listed standards, carry the food contact symbol and Arabic labels, and need a Type 3 certificate.Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in Saudi Arabia
Other products
- Food
- Supplements
- Beverages
- Alcohol
- Infant formula and baby food
- Pet food
- Cosmetics and beauty
- Cleaning products and detergents
- Toys
- Electrical and electronics
- Clothing, footwear and textiles
- Consumer goods
Selling kitchenware and other food contact articles somewhere not listed here? Tell us the product and the market, and we will come back to you with the rules that apply.
Tell us where you sellCompliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.