Every food business in Australia buys plastic bags, and almost nobody checks what is actually in them. The bag gets specified on price and size, the box arrives, and the assumption is that a clear plastic bag sold to a butcher must be safe for meat.
Most of the time that assumption holds. Sometimes it does not, and the gap between the two is worth understanding, because under Australian food law the obligation sits with you as the food business, not only with the supplier.
This is a plain explanation of what "food grade" means, which Australian rules apply, and the specific questions worth asking before you commit to a pallet of bags. It is general information rather than legal advice, so check your own situation with your local council environmental health officer.
What "food grade" actually means
A food-grade plastic bag is one manufactured from resin that is suitable for direct contact with food, using additives, inks and processing aids that are also cleared for food contact, in conditions that prevent contamination.
The phrase describes the whole manufacturing chain, not just the raw plastic. A bag made from perfectly good polyethylene can still fail if it is produced on a line that also runs non-food product, or if the pigment or slip additive is not cleared for food contact.
That is why "it is only polyethylene, polyethylene is inert" is an incomplete answer. The polymer is rarely the risk. The risk sits in what else went into the film.
The Australian rules that apply to your packaging
Australia handles food contact materials differently from the United States or the EU, and the difference surprises people.
The Food Standards Code
The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, administered by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), is the primary instrument. Two parts matter most here.
Standard 1.4.3, Articles and Materials in Contact with Food, requires that material in contact with food must not cause bodily harm, distress or discomfort. It is written as an outcome, not a checklist.
Standard 1.4.1, Contaminants and Natural Toxicants, sets maximum levels for certain contaminants that may end up in food, including through contact with packaging.
Notice what is absent. Australia does not operate a positive list of pre-approved food contact substances the way the EU does, and there is no pre-market approval process for a new packaging film. The Code sets the outcome and leaves the demonstration to industry.
Your obligation as a food business
Standard 3.2.2, Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, is the one that names you directly. Food businesses must use packaging material that is fit for its intended use and not likely to cause food contamination.
"Fit for its intended use" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. A bag that is genuinely food grade but rated for dry goods is not automatically fit for hot rotisserie chicken. Fitness depends on the food, the temperature and the contact time, not on a generic claim printed on the carton.
In practice, an environmental health officer auditing your premises can ask what your packaging is and where it came from. Being able to answer is the point.
AS 2070 and why it points overseas
AS 2070-1999, Plastics materials for food contact use, is the Australian Standard covering plastics intended for food contact. It covers materials and procedures across production, coating and printing of plastic items for food contact.
Its most useful feature is that it requires new plastics materials used in food contact items to comply with either the relevant United States FDA Code of Federal Regulations or the relevant European Commission directives. In other words, Australia leans on the two large regulatory systems that do maintain positive lists.
AS 2070 is a voluntary standard rather than law in itself. Compliance with it is the normal way a reputable supplier demonstrates that their film is appropriate, which is exactly why it is worth asking about by name.
Virgin resin against recycled remill
If you take one practical thing from this article, take this one.
Food-grade poly bags should be made from virgin resin. Recycled remill plastic is reprocessed material whose history is unknown: it may have previously been a chemical drum liner, an industrial wrap or a printed film. Once material has been through an unknown prior life, nobody can certify what might migrate out of it.
Remill is cheaper, and it is perfectly legitimate for non-food applications like waste, freight protection or construction. It is not appropriate for direct food contact.
This is the difference that a low quote often hides. Two bags of identical size and micron rating can be quoted 30% apart, and the reason is usually the resin. Every bag in the QIS LDPE poly bag range is manufactured from virgin food-grade LDPE rather than recycled remill, which is the reason those bags carry a food contact claim at all.
Matching the bag to the food
Being food grade gets a bag onto the shortlist. Choosing the right one is a separate job, and thickness is the main lever.
Fresh produce and bakery. Light, dry, high volume. A 35µm film handles bread rolls, biscuits, loose fruit and vegetables, and dry ingredients at the lowest cost per bag. Going heavier here spends money for no benefit.
Butcher counter, deli and fishmonger. Wet, irregular, sometimes bony. Step up to 50µm or 75µm. Wet product plus a sharp edge is exactly the combination that splits a light bag, and a split bag over a display case is a contamination event, not just a waste of stock.
Freezer storage. Go to 100µm. LDPE stays flexible at low temperature instead of turning brittle, which is why it outperforms stiffer films in the freezer. For long-term storage of meat and fish, vacuum sealer bags will beat any flat bag on shelf life.
If you want the detail on gauge selection, the poly bag thickness guide works through all five thicknesses, and the LDPE against HDPE comparison covers why material choice changes the answer.
Same size, three thicknesses:
What food grade does not mean
Three common misreadings, each of which causes real problems.
It does not mean heat safe. LDPE is not oven safe and is not designed for microwave cooking. It softens well below the temperature of a hot oven and will deform or melt. Hot food straight from a fryer or oven needs packaging rated for that temperature.
It does not mean it is a barrier to everything. LDPE is an excellent moisture barrier and a fairly poor oxygen barrier. Product that goes stale or oxidises rather than drying out needs a different structure, which is where vacuum bags or a modified pack come in.
It does not mean the pack is sealed. An open bag folded over is not a tamper-evident pack. If your product leaves the premises, sealing matters. All the LDPE poly bags in this range are heat sealable, and a bench-top unit from the heat sealer range turns an open bag into a proper closed pack. For reusable open and close storage, resealable ziplock bags are the simpler option.
Five questions worth asking your supplier
Before you commit to a bulk order, ask:
- Is this virgin resin or recycled remill?
- Does the film comply with AS 2070, and can you confirm that in writing?
- What are the temperature limits for this bag?
- Are any inks, pigments or additives in the film cleared for food contact?
- Is this bag intended for direct food contact, or for secondary packaging only?
A supplier who deals in food packaging every day will answer all five without hesitating. Hesitation on question one is the answer to question one.
Frequently asked questions
Are all clear plastic bags food grade?
No. Clarity is a property of the film, not a safety certification. Plenty of clear bags are made from recycled remill or carry additives that are not cleared for food contact, and they are sold legitimately for freight, waste and industrial use. Check the specification rather than the appearance.
Is there a food-grade certification mark I should look for in Australia?
Not a single mandatory mark. Australia does not run a pre-market approval scheme for food contact plastics. The usual evidence is a supplier declaration referencing AS 2070, which in turn requires compliance with the relevant US FDA or European Commission requirements. Ask for that declaration in writing and keep it on file.
Can I reuse food-grade plastic bags?
For your own dry storage, within reason. For commercial food handling, no. Single-use flat poly bags cannot be cleaned or sanitised reliably, and reusing one that has held raw meat or fish is a cross-contamination risk. Use fresh bags and recycle the used ones through soft-plastic collection where it is available in your area.
Are food-grade poly bags freezer safe?
Yes. LDPE stays flexible at low temperatures rather than turning brittle, which makes it well suited to freezer storage. Use a heavier gauge (75µm or 100µm) for anything staying frozen long term. There is more detail in the guide to which bags you can freeze.
Does the same standard apply to ice bags and takeaway bags?
The same Food Standards Code obligations apply to any packaging in direct contact with food, including bulk ice bags and plastic food bags. The specification changes with the application, but the underlying requirement does not.
What if I need a size that is not in stock?
Custom manufacturing runs are available for non-stock sizes, and layflat LDPE tubing lets you cut your own bag lengths in the meantime. Call 1800 555 343 or send through a quote request with your dimensions and volume.
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