SWTC SWC · United Arab Emirates

How are food contact materials tested? How are test conditions selected?

The key to FCM testing is "simulating actual use conditions": select simulants based on the type of food contacted (10% ethanol or water for aqueous foods, 3% acetic acid for acidic foods, olive oil or 95% ethanol for fatty foods, 20% ethanol for alcoholic foods), and select conditions based on actual use temperature and time (e.g., 100°C/30min, 175°C/2h). Test items include overall migration, specific migration, heavy metals, and sensory evaluation. Reusable articles must undergo three migration tests, with the result of the third test used for judgment.

The most common mistake is testing with cold-water conditions yet exporting cookware intended for frying, where the report is formally compliant but substantively invalid. Test conditions must be derived backward from actual use.

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