Plastic material is one of the best materials for food or consumable product packaging and delivery. This material helps to protect the food and consumable product, which can prolong the food life itself. However, it is not all plastic material that you can use for those purposes. You can only use the food safe plastic type.
Food-safe plastic is a plastic material that doesn’t affect or change the food quality and composition when it makes contact with the food. We can find many types of plastic material that have very strong properties, which can affect the food taste and even make it go bad because of the contact. Therefore, the plastic material for food packaging should not have that kind of property.
What kind of food-safe plastic can we use for food packaging? You can find more about it below. These are the types of plastic materials recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A company that wants to use plastic material for food packaging must follow this regulation to run its business. So, here are five types of food safe plastic material.
ABS is one of the popular plastic materials for food packaging. It has high stain and abrasion resistance. It also is strong, which can protect the food from impact, especially during low-temperature shipping. More importantly, ABS has great insulating properties. Thus, it is the perfect material for packaging food products for long-distance shipping.
The manufacturer uses a combination of acrylonitrile, styrene polymers, and butadiene to build ABS plastic. Thanks to this combination, this plastic material is very flexible. Therefore, you can use it to create various and complex shapes that match the types of the food product package.
Many companies use HDPE plastic for milk, water, and other food products that need good heat insulation. It is one of the thermoplastic types with high melting points. Therefore, it doesn’t change even though you use it to keep hot food. Furthermore, this material also is a nonporous polymer. That means the food you put inside the container made of this food safe plastic can last longer.
The high heat resistance also makes the HDPE container compatible with the dishwasher. Moreover, HDPE also has non-leaching properties. It means you can clean the container with disinfectant safely. Any chemical substance from the cleaning product also will be washed out easily. So, it is safe to use it for food after you clean it.
PEEK is also one of the materials that the FDA allowed in the food safe plastic category. It is lightweight and a thermoplastic type. The high melting point gives the food better protection against contamination that came from the material affected by the heat. Furthermore, it also makes the container made of PEEK material suitable for microwaves, dishwashers, and other activities that involve heat.
PEEK is known as the plastic material for the tool used in the processing steps of delicate foods. You can find this material on the container to process raw lettuce or dairy products. Therefore, this material is the best choice for cooking appliances, such as blenders, mixers, scrapers, and even coffee machines.
If you find a transparent food safe plastic, that most likely is the PMMA material. Its transparent property is a perfect choice for a food container or jar. It also has one of the best strengths and stiffness. The combination of the transparent surface and its durability creates the best protection for food with a high aesthetic value. Because of that, PMMA products are often used to store dairy products, oils, and food for animals.
Its high strength also is a good property for food containers that receive impact often, such as mixing bowls. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about breaking it when you mix several types of ingredients. More importantly, PMMA is BPA-free. So, you don’t have to worry about making food using this material for your family members.
Then, we have Polypropylene here. It is lightweight and has a high strength level. However, it has flexibility, which makes it easy to mold into various shapes. The FDA has approved it as food-grade plastic, which means it is safe to use. Its translucent or opaque color makes it a perfect match for any color on the food container surfaces.
Those are five plastic materials that are safe for food. You can find the product and more information about food-safe plastic from Castalia International Pte. Ltd. This company has been around for years and is known as one of the best players in the industry. Therefore, try to visit and use their service, and you will know more about the food safe plastic material and products.
