What is Food Grade Packaging?
Food grade packaging is packaging made from materials that are safe for direct contact with food. It must not transfer anything harmful into the food, and must not change the food's taste, odour or appearance. In Australia that obligation comes from the Food Standards Code, not from any licence or certificate.
What food grade actually means
A pack is food grade when the material suits the food it will hold, for as long as it holds it, at the temperature it is held at. Three things have to be true: nothing harmful migrates out of the packaging into the food, the packaging does not taint the food or change how it looks and smells, and the pack physically protects the food from contamination during storage, transport and handling.
A film can be made from a suitable resin and still fail if it is too thin to survive handling, or if it has been stored uncovered in a dusty warehouse. Food grade is a property of the whole supply chain, not just the raw material.
Temperature is the usual trap. A bag that is fine for cold produce is not automatically fine for hot chips, and a film that suits dry goods may not suit oily food, because fats pull more out of a plastic than water does.
Australia has no food grade certificate
This is the part most suppliers get wrong. Australia has no pre-market approval regime for food contact materials. No government body assesses a poly bag or a paper wrap and issues an approval, so there is no such thing as an approved or certified food grade pack here.
What a supplier can reasonably give you instead is documentary evidence that the material is suitable: a declaration of compliance from the manufacturer, a material or resin specification, and confirmation that the film is virgin resin rather than reprocessed. Some manufacturers also hold overseas food contact documentation and will supply it as supporting evidence. None of that is an Australian approval, but together it is what a food safety auditor wants to see.
Materials used for direct food contact
| Material | Typical food use | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin low density polyethylene (LDPE) | Poly bags, bin and box liners, layflat tubing, produce bags | Virgin resin, not reprocessed. Soft, clear and easy to heat seal. |
| Polypropylene, including BOPP | Bakery and confectionery bags, film overwraps, printed pouches | Stiffer and clearer than LDPE, and tolerates more heat. |
| Regenerated cellulose (true cellophane) | Confectionery, bakery, hampers, gift food | Made from wood pulp, breathable, so it suits food that should not sweat. |
| Uncoated papers (butchers, kraft, greaseproof) | Over the counter meat, fish, deli, sandwiches, fresh produce | No coating or ink on the contact face. Grease resistance varies by grade. |
| Nylon and polyethylene laminate | Vacuum sealer bags for meat, fish and portioned food | Barrier layer plus a sealing layer. Check the bag suits your sealer type. |
| Recycled content plastics | Outer bags, satchels, liners, secondary packaging | Generally kept away from the direct contact face. |
Why recycled content is restricted for direct contact
Recycled plastic is made from material whose history is unknown. Post consumer film may have held detergent, solvent or garden chemicals, and traces can survive reprocessing and migrate into food. Most Australian food packaging therefore keeps recycled content out of the layer that touches the food, and uses it in satchels, liners and transit packaging instead. Some multi layer films place recycled material behind a virgin contact layer, so ask which layer it is in.
Shop food contact packaging
Four ranges QIS supplies for direct food contact, in stock in Brisbane and despatched Australia-wide.
Food grade packaging under the Australian Food Standards Code
Food packaging here is regulated through the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, administered by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and enforced by state and territory authorities. Two parts do the work.
Standard 3.2.2, Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, requires a food business to use only packaging material that is fit for its intended use and is not likely to cause food contamination. It is a duty on the business handling the food, which is why the obligation sits with you rather than with a certifying body.
Standard 1.4.1, Contaminants and Natural Toxicants, sets maximum levels for certain contaminants in food, including those that may end up there through contact with packaging material. FSANZ states that manufacturers are required by the Code to ensure food in contact with packaging is safe.
Because there is no approval step, compliance is shown through records rather than a certificate. A food business also operates under its own food safety program or food safety management tools, and the packaging it buys forms part of that. Keeping the supplier declaration and material specification on file for each pack you use is what an auditor is looking for.
What to ask a packaging supplier
Ask what the material actually is, by resin or paper grade, rather than just whether it is food grade. Ask whether the contact layer is virgin. Ask for a declaration of compliance you can keep on file. Ask what food types and temperatures it is intended for. If a supplier answers by saying a pack is approved or certified, they have not read the Code.
Food contact packaging in stock
Same-day despatch from Brisbane on stock orders placed before 12pm.
Related guides
Food grade starts with the material. Read what is LDPE for the film used in most Australian food contact bags, what is cellophane for the difference between true regenerated cellulose and the plastic films sold under that name, and what is kraft paper for the paper side. What does poly stand for explains why so many different plastics share the same prefix.
For a food contact range in stock, see our food grade cellophane bags. Not sure which material suits your product, temperature and shelf life? Contact our Brisbane team on 1800 555 343 and we will match the pack to the food.
