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Selling kitchenware and food contact articles in the UK

In 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.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Framework
Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004
Plastics
Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 10/2011
Label
"For food contact" or the glass and fork symbol, in English
Who oversees
The Food Standards Agency, and Food Standards Scotland
Who enforces
Local authorities
Northern Ireland
EU law, including the EU BPA restrictions

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is it a material or article intended to come into contact with food? Read more
  2. 2Is it labelled "for food contact", or with the symbol, and with the business name and address? Read more
  3. 3Is it plastic, and is there a declaration of compliance and migration testing? Read more
  4. 4Is it ceramic, and does it meet the lead and cadmium limits? Read more
  5. 5Does it use a substance that needs GB authorisation, or a BPA-based coating? Read more
  6. 6Can the article be traced back to its supplier and forward to its buyer? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

The food contact framework

The general rule for materials and articles that touch food.

  • Food contact materials are materials and articles that come into contact with food during its production, processing, storage, preparation or serving, including kitchenware and tableware.
  • They are manufactured under good manufacturing practice so that, under normal or foreseeable use, they do not transfer constituents to food in quantities that could endanger health or change the food's composition, taste or smell.
  • The labelling, advertising and presentation of a material or article must not mislead consumers.
  • The Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations 2012, made separately for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, set the offences and competent authorities.
  • Local authorities enforce, with powers to carry out documentary checks and serve enforcement notices.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps suppliers' declarations and migration test reports with each article, dated, and shows which are due for renewal. Ask about this

Labelling and traceability

What an article not yet in contact with food carries when it is sold.

  • The article is accompanied by the words "for food contact", a specific indication of its use (such as soup spoon or wine bottle), or the glass and fork symbol. This is not needed where the article is clearly intended for food contact.
  • It carries special instructions for safe use where necessary, and the name or trade name and address of the manufacturer, processor or seller responsible.
  • At retail, the information is on the article, its packaging, a label, or a clearly visible notice nearby. The use and instructions information must be in English, or in English and Welsh.
  • Businesses have systems to identify who supplied them and whom they supplied, and the articles are identifiable through labelling or documentation.

How we help: Compliant Always sets the food contact label elements beside your packaging artwork, and keeps the supplier and customer records behind each lot. Ask about this

Plastics, coatings and authorisations

Specific rules for plastic articles and the substances used to make them.

  • Plastic materials and articles must not transfer more than 10 mg of total constituents per dm² of food contact surface to food simulants; for articles meant for infant and young-child food, the limit is 60 mg per kg of simulant.
  • At marketing stages other than retail, plastic materials and articles come with a written declaration of compliance, renewed when composition or production changes alter migration.
  • Plastic monomers and additives, regenerated cellulose film and, in future, active and intelligent materials and recycled plastic processes need authorisation in GB. New additives cannot be placed on the market until authorised.
  • Additives authorised by the European Commission before 1 January 2021 remain valid in GB; new applications go through the FSA regulated products service, with no fee.
  • BPA from varnishes or coatings must not migrate above 0.05 mg per kg of food, and must not migrate at all from coatings on articles meant for infant formula and baby food.

How we help: Upload a migration test report and Compliant Always reads it against the limits that apply in GB, and keeps the declaration of compliance with the article. Ask about this

Ceramic articles

Lead and cadmium from ceramic tableware and cookware.

  • The quantities of lead and cadmium transferred from ceramic articles must not exceed the limits in regulation 10 of the 2012 Regulations, which vary with the category of article.
  • Unless it is shown that the materials did not contain lead or cadmium, the transfer is determined by the test set out in the Regulations.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps lead and cadmium test results with each ceramic line, so a buyer's question is answered from the record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerGood manufacturing practice, migration within limits, and the declaration of compliance for plastics.Declarations and test reports kept with each article and lot.
Importer or brandThe name and address on the article, and labelling that does not mislead.Overseas suppliers' declarations read and dated before the goods arrive.
RetailerShowing the required information on the article, its packaging or a notice nearby.The documents each article needs, shown when asked.
Material supplierDeclarations for substances and intermediate products used to make the article.Declarations collected once and shown to each customer that asks.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

EU food contact law applies in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. The EU BPA Regulation, (EU) 2024/3190, restricts intentional use of BPA and other hazardous bisphenols in food contact materials there, with a first deadline of 20 July 2026 and an extended one of 20 January 2028.

In GB, the EU BPA restrictions do not apply. The FSA has said it intends to introduce restrictions in GB, subject to the policy and legislative process. Commission Regulation 2022/1616 on recycled plastics applies in NI but not GB.

Questions businesses ask

Which rules apply to kitchenware sold in Great Britain?
Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 on food contact materials, with specific rules for plastics, ceramics and coatings, and the Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations 2012.
Does kitchenware need a "food safe" label in the UK?
An article sold before contact with food carries "for food contact", a specific use such as "soup spoon", or the glass and fork symbol, unless it is clearly intended for food contact.
What language must food contact labels be in?
English, or English and Welsh, for the food contact indication, safe use instructions and information on active materials at retail.
What is the migration limit for plastic food containers?
Plastic articles must not transfer more than 10 mg of total constituents per dm² of food contact surface. For articles meant for infant and young-child food, the limit is 60 mg per kg of food simulant.
Do plastic kitchen products need a declaration of compliance?
Yes, at marketing stages other than retail. The business operator issues a written declaration that identifies the material or article and is renewed when changes affect migration.
Is BPA banned in food contact materials in the UK?
In Northern Ireland, the EU BPA Regulation applies from 20 July 2026. In GB, EU BPA restrictions do not apply; BPA migration from coatings is limited to 0.05 mg/kg and the FSA intends to introduce restrictions.
Do ceramic plates and mugs have limits for lead?
Yes. Lead and cadmium transferred from ceramic articles must stay within the limits in regulation 10 of the 2012 Regulations, tested as the Regulations set out.
Do new substances in food contact plastics need approval in Great Britain?
Plastic monomers and additives need authorisation in GB. New additives cannot be placed on the market until authorised; applications go through the FSA's regulated products service.
Who enforces food contact rules in the UK?
Local authorities, which can carry out documentary checks and serve enforcement notices. The FSA maintains the lists of authorised food contact materials.
Do food contact articles need to be traceable?
Yes. Businesses must be able to identify who supplied them and whom they supplied, and articles must be identifiable through labelling or documentation.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in the UK?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the split between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product and keeps the documents behind each one ready. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant 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.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in the UK and what your paperwork needs to show.

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