Global Food-Grade Testing Standards by Country: A 2026 Compliance Guide for Metal & Tin

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The one-line rule: There is no single global food-grade certificate. "Food safe" is defined country by country, and a tin box cleared for the US market may still fail at a German retailer's receiving dock. This guide maps the major regimes so your next shipment clears customs and the buyer's lab.

 

Why Food-Grade Standards Are Not Global

A tinplate lunch box, a cookie tin or a candy container is a food contact material (FCM). Every jurisdiction that regulates FCMs answers the same question differently: "How much of which substance is allowed to migrate from the package into the food?"
Three things make this hard for metal-packaging buyers:
  1. The base metal is steel, but the risk is in the coating. Tin, lacquer, printing ink and solder seams each have their own migration limits.
  2. "FDA approved" is not a certificate. The FDA lists substances as safe; a US buyer typically wants your lab's migration test report citing 21 CFR, not a sticker.
  3. Retailers add their own layer. German discounters demand LFGB + REACH SVHC; UK grocers want UK REACH; French buyers want DGCCRF. A national law is the floor, a retailer's spec is the ceiling.
The rest of this article is organized by region. Use it as a pre-shipment checklist, not legal advice — always confirm against the latest version of each regulation and a recognized third-party lab (SGS, TÜV, Intertek, BV).

1. North America

United States — FDA (21 CFR)
  • Framework: Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act + Code of Federal Regulations 21 CFR 170–199.
  • Relevant parts for metal tins:
    • 21 CFR 175.300 — resinous and polymeric coatings (the inner lacquer).
    • 21 CFR 177 — certain plastics used in gaskets / lids.
    • Tinplate itself is treated as a prior-sanctioned / GRAS material; the risk sits in the lacquer and ink.
  • Common tests: overall migration into food simulants, heavy-metal extractables (Pb, Cd, As, Sb), perchlorate and phthalate screens for printed tins.
  • California Prop 65: if you sell into California, watch Pb and Cd safe-harbor levels — stricter than federal, and requires warning labels if exceeded.
  • Buyer tip: a "FDA compliant" claim is weak. Ask suppliers for a dated migration test report (not a self-declaration).
Canada — CFIA / Health Canada
  • Framework: Food and Drugs Act + Food Contact Materials rules under Division 23 of the Food and Drug Regulations.
  • Canada largely harmonizes with US FDA but maintains its own positive list. For metal articles, the focus is on Pb, Cd, As, Sb, Ba, Se extractables.

2. European Union & UK

EU — Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 + (EU) 10/2011
  • Framework: EU 1935/2004 is the umbrella law; it says any FCM must be "safe" and not transfer substances in quantities that could endanger health.
  • (EU) 10/2011 sets migration limits for plastics, but its food simulants and test conditions are the de facto method used for lacquered metal tins too.
  • For uncoated / metal substrates, the EU has no single "metal" regulation; instead member states rely on:
    • Council of Europe Resolution CM/Res(2013)9 / ResAP(2008)1 — recommended specific release limits for metals and alloys in contact with food.
  • Typical specific migration limits (SML) referenced for metal packaging:
    • Pb ≤ 0.01 mg/kg food (or per SML in latest text)
    • Cd ≤ 0.005 mg/kg
    • Ni, Cr(VI), Zn — controlled via national measures / ResAP.
  • Overall Migration Limit (OML): 10 mg/dm² (default for the food contact surface).
Germany — LFGB
  • Law: Lebensmittel-, Bedarfsgegenstände- und Futtermittelgesetzbuch (LFGB), § 30–31.
  • This is the strictest and most-requested EU standard for consumer tins. German discounters and Amazon.de buyers almost always ask for LFGB.
  • LFGB tests heavy metals + sensory (taste/odor) + overall migration with a tighter attitude than the EU baseline.
France — DGCCRF
  • French food-contact conformity is enforced by DGCCRF under the French Consumer Code.
  • Particular attention to printing inks and a declared "no Bisphenol A" position; France banned BPA in all FCMs years ahead of the EU.
United Kingdom — UK REACH + Retained EU Law
  • Post-Brexit, the UK keeps Retained EU Law (EU) 2017/752 (the FCM framework) and runs its own UK REACH.
  • Test methods mirror the EU; the difference is paperwork and the UK declaration of conformity.

3. Asia-Pacific

China — GB 4806 series
  • Framework: GB 4806.1-2016 (general safety) + GB 4806.9-2016 (metals and alloys for food contact) + GB 4806.10 (coatings) + GB 31604 test-method series.
  • China runs a positive-list + migration system: the material must be on the list and pass migration tests (4% acetic acid, 20% ethanol, olive oil, etc.).
  • Relevant for exporters who also sell into the Chinese domestic market or source tinplate from Chinese mills (most do).
Japan — JFSL (Food Sanitation Act)
  • Framework: Japan Food Sanitation Act (Law No. 233 of 1947, amended) + MHLW ministerial ordinances (positive list for utensils, containers and packaging).
  • Japan uses a positive-list system; metal cans/tins are covered under container & packaging specs. Focus: Pb, Cd, As extractables and specific limits for tinplate solder seams.
South Korea — MFDS
  • Framework: Food Sanitation Act + MFDS standards for food utensils, containers and packaging.
  • Positive-list + migration based, harmonized loosely with Japan and Codex.
Australia & New Zealand — FSANZ
  • Framework: Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), Standard 1.4.3 (food contact materials).
  • Australia largely references US FDA equivalence for many substances; tests follow OECD/ISO methods.

4. Middle East, Latin America & Others

Region
Authority
Key instrument
Notes for metal tins
GCC / Saudi Arabia
SFDA / GSO
GSO 1863, SFDA Food Contact Technical Regulation
Halal-agnostic on material; needs migration + heavy-metal tests, Arabic label for retail
United Arab Emirates
ESMA / MoIAT
UAE.S GSO 1863 adoption
Same family as GCC
Brazil
ANVISA
RDC 326/2019 (and updates)
Positive list + migration; Portuguese docs often required
Mexico
COFEPRIS
NOM-051 / health regulation
Harmonized toward US/FDA
Turkey
Min. of Agriculture
Turkish Food Codex FCM regulation
Mirrors EU 1935/2004

 

5. The Metal-Packaging Test Itself (What Labs Actually Run)

Regardless of country, a competent lab runs a variation of this for a lacquered tin box:
Food simulants (the "fake food")
Simulant
Represents
Typical condition
Distilled water
Neutral aqueous foods
40 °C, 10 days / 70 °C, 2 h
3% acetic acid
Acidic foods (tomato, lemon)
40 °C, 10 days
10% ethanol
Mild alcoholic / aqueous
40 °C, 10 days
Olive oil / isooctane
Fatty foods (chocolate, butter)
40 °C, 10 days
What they measure
  • Overall Migration Limit (OML) — total mass transferred, usually ≤ 10 mg/dm².
  • Specific Migration (SML) — individual metals: Pb, Cd, As, Sb, Ni, Cr(VI), Zn, Ba, Sn.
  • Heavy-metal extractables — often an acid-leach screen.
  • Non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) and REACH SVHC < 0.1% w/w for EU retail.
  • Sensory test (LFGB) — does the food taste or smell of metal?
Tinplate-specific note: the tin layer itself is benign, but a poorly cured inner lacquer is the #1 cause of failures. Insist the supplier specifies lacquer brand, cure schedule and a BPA-NI (BPA Non-Intent) statement.

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Is there one certificate that covers all countries?
No. Each market has its own framework. The closest to "global" is a migration test report following EU 10/2011 methods, which many buyers accept as a baseline — but you still add FDA (US), LFGB (Germany) or GB 4806 (China) declarations per destination.
Q2. What's the difference between FDA and LFGB?
FDA (US) is a substance-safety + migration framework; LFGB (Germany) is stricter, with mandatory sensory testing and a more conservative stance on heavy metals. A tin that passes FDA may still fail LFGB's taste/odor screen.
Q3. How long does food-grade testing take and cost?
Typical third-party migration testing runs 7–15 working days and costs USD 300–900 per material/sku depending on the number of simulants and metals. Rush options exist but raise cost ~50%.
Q4. Does unprinted, uncoated tinplate need testing?
Yes, but lighter. Even bare tinplate should show a heavy-metal extractable screen (Pb, Cd, As, Sn) and, for the EU, a ResAP release check. Printed and lacquered tins need the full migration battery.
Q5. Do I need testing for every color/print variation?
Generally, only the worst-case (darkest print, most ink coverage, most aggressive lacquer) is tested as a representative article, provided the substrate and lacquer are identical. Confirm this "family" approach with your lab and document it.
Q6. Can I self-declare "food grade" without a lab report?
For B2B customs entry, a manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity is often accepted. For retail / brand buyers, a third-party report (SGS/TÜV/Intertek/BV) is effectively mandatory. Self-declaration alone will lose you the bigger accounts.
Q7. Which standard should a new exporter prioritize first?
If you sell to the US: FDA 21 CFR + Prop 65. To Europe: EU 1935/2004 + LFGB. To China: GB 4806. Start with the market that represents 70% of your revenue, then expand the document library.
 
Published by Vicky at Jasion Houseware. Jasion Houseware is a China-based manufacturer and exporter of custom metal boxes, metal storage containers, supplying brands and importers with full food-grade documentation (FDA, LFGB, EU 1935/2004, GB 4806) per destination market.
Tags: food grade testing standards by country, global food contact regulations, FDA vs LFGB vs GB 4806, food grade certification, metal packaging compliance, EU 1935/2004, tin box compliance, migration test, REACH SVHC
Release time: 2026-08-25

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