If you're looking to create plastic food packaging, it's essential that you understand which plastics are food-safe. Food-safe plastic resins are those approved for contact with edibles by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are known as food contact substances (FCS).
The FDA defines stoffer i kontakt med fødevarer as "any substance that is intended for use as a component of materials used in manufacturing, packing, packaging, transporting, or holding food."
Her er de mest almindelige plastharpikser godkendt af FDA til fødevarekontakt.
Polyethylenterephthalat (PET)
PET-harpiks er meget udbredt i plast, der har fødevarekontaktapplikationer, fra de allestedsnærværende 2-liters sodavandsflasker til salatdressingflasker til jordnøddesmørkrukker. Langt de fleste drikkeflasker til en enkelt servering er lavet af PET. Specielt-behandlede PET-beholdere kan mikroovne og bruges i take-out-beholdere og enkeltserveringsbakker.
The FDA has approved both virgin and post-consumer recycled (PCR) PET til fødevarekontakt. The resin has been thoroughly studied for negative health effects and found to cause none. According to a foundational study, "PET itself is biologisk inert ved indtagelse, er dermalt sikker under håndtering og er ikke en fare ved indånding."
PET resin is stable. That means it doesn't degrade when in contact with food or beverages, it resists corrosion, and it repels microorganisms. These qualities that make it ideal for food contact.
Polypropylen (PP)
Polypropylene is a widely used plastic. You likely have polypropylene plastic in your fridge and cupboards right now: it's regularly used in reusable food storage containers. It's also the resin used to make yogurt containers and other single-serving tubs.
PP plastics are approved for food contact. They are inaktive materialer og udgør ikke en sundhedsfare for forbrugerne. The FDA began to godkend genbrugspolypropylen som fødevaresikkert-i 2013.
Polypropylene's high melting point makes it suitable for microwaveable food containers. It's nonvolatile and doesn't react to liquids, acids, or bases, so it's perfect to store a wide variety of foods.
Høj-Density Polyethylen (HDPE)
HDPE er den mest almindelige husholdningsplast. Hos købmanden ser man en masse HDPE-plastikflasker i juicegangen og mælkekassen. HDPE bruges også i smørbeholdere, kornbeholdere og i store madbøtter, såsom dem, der leverer skolecafeterier og restauranter.
Virgin HDPE is a safe plastic for food contact. The FDA has sanctioned recycled HDPE for fødevarekontakt fra sag til-sag i over 20 år.
HDPE resin produces plastic that is corrosion-resistant and absorbs little moisture, making it well-suited for storing beverages. Also, HDPE containers don't leach chemicals into their contents.
Polyethylen med lav-densitet (LDPE)
LDPE-plast ligner HDPE-plast, men er kendt for at være mindre stiv. De er populære i klemmeflasker, såsom brugt til ketchup og sennep; plastikfilm, såsom dem, der pakker kommercielt bagværk og kød ind; og seks-ringe.
Virgin LDPE resins are safe for food contact. While recycled LDPE/PP blends have been approved for food contact by the FDA on to lejligheder, materialer fremstillet af 100 procent PCR LDPE-harpiks er ikke godkendt til fødevarekontakt.
LDPE har god kemisk resistens, høj slagstyrke og stærk slidabsorbering. Ligesom PET- og HDPE-plast kan LDPE holde på dine fødevarer uden at udvaske skadelige materialer eller lade mikroorganismer trænge ind.
Polycarbonat (PC)
Polycarbonat bruges almindeligvis i vand-køleflasker, sutteflasker og genanvendelige vandbeholdere.
There's been a lot of discussion the past few years about the food safety of polycarbonate because there is bisphenol A (BPA) in the resin). BPA is rumored to be hazardous to health. Because of the public scrutiny, it has been extensively tested. The det gennemsnitlige forbrugerindtag af BPA er meget lavt, and kemikaliet ophobes ikke i kroppen. No health risks are known to exist at such small levels, and the FDA has konkluderede, at det er sikkert for fødevarekontakt. Nogle producenter har erstattet FDA-godkendt co-polyester for at levere klare beholdere, der er BPA-fri.
PC is an especially tough plastic (it's used for bullet-resistant windows), making it ideal for "unbreakable" water bottles and storing large amounts of a product.
