Food Safe Paints – What you need to know
The term “Food Safe paint” is most commonly used to describe paints and coatings that are suitable for the food industry. But in reality it’s a term that groups together certain products that have been approved for food contact by providing a safe and hygienic environment. Most commonly they are used on walls and floors in the food or health industries where hygiene levels need to be maintained and controlled.
If you specifically need a paint that is approved for food contact, then you need to make sure it’s certified. Which brings us to our first point.
Not all hygiene paints are “Food Safe”, but all “Food Safe” paints are hygienic.
If you specifically need a product that is safe for food contact then you need to look for the food contact certificate (see example here). Hygienic coatings cover a much broader range of products, which are used for a wider range of purposes, and often these do not need approval for food contact. So if you do work in the food and beverage industry, or in a similar environment where you need food contact approval then make sure your chosen product has the necessary certification.
Often hygiene coatings are so named because they have easy-to-clean capabilities, or because they can be used to maintain the atmosphere/moisture level of a room (such as the 5090 Anti-Condensation Paint). So it is never safe to assume that just because the product has been marked as a hygiene coating that it will be suitable for what you need. If you are worried that your chosen product won’t be suitable for what you need it for, then call our team on 01902 710057, and they can run through it all with you.
As well as this, there are varying degrees of “Food Safe” certification. They vary depending on both what the product is, and what it is used for. If you need to maintain a “food Safe” area then make sure everything that you use in that area has the correct approvals.
Check the Certification!
Paints and coatings that are deemed to be safe in food controlled areas need certification in Coatings Intended for Food Contact Surfaces. This means that they are then safe for direct and intended contact with food and food preparation items, once the product has fully cured.
However there are other kinds of certification. One to be aware of is the Incidental Food Contact certificate. This is most often used for items such as lubricants, cleaners etc, which may come into contact with food, but only brief and/or minor exposure. Products that have this certification are not certified for prolonged contact with food or a food preparation surface.
If any of the certifications are unclear, or if you want to double check that they suit what you need then give us a call, and one of our technical team will be able to check it over for you.
