Resin test reports and finished-product tests: what a drinkware supplier's paperwork really covers
Ask a drinkware supplier for test reports and you will often receive a folder of resin documents. They are useful, but they are not a test of the product you are buying. Here is how to tell the documents apart.
Three kinds of document
| Document | What it is about | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Resin test report | The resin maker's grade, tested as pellets or a moulded plaque | Whether that grade meets a standard such as US FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 or China's GB 4806 series |
| Safety data sheet (MSDS / SDS) or transport classification | The resin as a chemical | How to handle, store and ship it — not whether it is safe for food |
| Finished-product test report | Your cup, bottle or lunch box, in its colour | Migration and other tests on the article as sold, against the standard of your market |
What a resin report covers
The resin grades we buy come with their makers' reports from accredited laboratories. For polypropylene, for example, they include:
- US FDA 21 CFR 177.1520, the FDA rule for olefin polymers: density, extractables in hexane and xylene, melting point.
- China's GB 4806.7 for food-contact plastics, and GB 9685 for additives.
- EU REACH screening for substances of very high concern (SVHC).
- RoHS, and phthalate content and migration.
For bottle-grade PET, the resin maker's report covers China's GB 4806.6 for food-contact resins.
These reports show that the base material is a sound choice. Read the first page, though: the client named is the resin maker, the sample is the resin, and the reports state that the results apply only to the sample tested.
What a resin report does not cover
- Your colour. Masterbatch is added at the moulding machine — in our case food-grade masterbatch, normally 1–4% — and the resin report does not include it.
- The other parts. Lids, seals, straws and inserts are often different materials, each with its own documents.
- Your market's test on the article. EU Regulation 10/2011, for example, sets migration limits that are tested on the finished article. Germany's LFGB and Mercosur's food-contact rules are also applied to the product.
- Your claims. "Dishwasher safe" or "microwave safe" on the pack needs a test under those conditions.
A safety data sheet or a dangerous-goods classification says nothing about food contact. If a supplier sends one in answer to a food-safety question, ask again.
When you need a finished-product test
- Your market or your retail customer requires a test report on the product — for the EU, LFGB or Mercosur, that is the normal case.
- The product has a new colour, a print near the drinking area, or a new material.
- The pack makes a use claim: hot drinks, microwave, dishwasher.
- The product is for children.
When an order needs one, we send samples of the product, in the approved colour, to a third-party laboratory for the tests your market requires. Tell us the destination market and the standard at the enquiry, so the test runs alongside production rather than after it.
A checklist for the file
- The resin maker's report for each material, with the grade named.
- Masterbatch documents for each colour.
- Finished-product test reports for your market, naming the model and the colour.
- Documents for each part that touches food: body, lid, seal, straw.
- The approved sample and the specification, kept with the reports.
Our article on checking markings and test reports explains how to read a report against the product.