GB 4806.9-2023National Food Safety Standard - Metal Materials and Products for Food Contact (English PDF)

2.1 Metal Materials and Products for Food Contact

Under normal conditions of use, various metal (including various metal plating and alloys) materials and products that are expected to come into contact with or have come into contact with food. Hereinafter referred to as “metal materials and products”.

2.2 Metal Plating

A metal coating formed on the food-contact surface of a solid material or product through various plating techniques.

2.3 Base Material

A material constituting the matrix of metal materials and products, excluding surface coatings and metal plating.

2.5 Impurity Elements

Unintentionally added elements remaining in a metal.

4.1 Requirements for Raw Materials

4.1.2 The manufacturing enterprises of the metal materials and products shall control the substances used and remaining during metal surface treatment (such as: acid pickling, oxidation, phosphating, polishing and anti-rust oiling, etc.), so that the amount of migration into food complies with the requirements of GB 4806.1. 4.1. […]

4.3 Physical and Chemical Indicators

4.3.1 Impurity element migration indicators

The migration indicators of impurity elements shall comply with the stipulations of Table 3.

4.3.2 Alloy element migration indicators

The migration indicators of alloy elements shall comply with the stipulations of Table 4.

a When the material composition is known, the elements to be determined can be confirmed based on the material composition (for example, manganese, chromium, nickel and molybdenum need to be determined for martensitic stainless steel with a designation of 32Cr13Mo). b For uncoated aluminum and aluminum alloy materials and products, this indictor is 5 mg/kg. c Not applicable to tinned thin steel plate containers.

4.4 Other Technical Requirements

4.4.1 The metal materials and products for food contact that use coatings, inks and (or) adhesives, etc. shall also comply with the stipulations of corresponding national food safety standards for coatings, inks and (or) adhesives, etc.

5.1 Migration Test

5.1.2 The metal materials and products expected to be repeatedly used shall be subject to three migration tests in accordance with the requirements of GB 31604.1. Specifically speaking, the compliance of stainless-steel materials and products is determined based on the determination results of the third test. If the amount of migration measured in the first test does not exceed the limit, and there is evidence to prove that the amount of migration measured in subsequent tests will not increase, there is no need to conduct the subsequent tests. Metal materials and products made of other textures will be deemed disqualified if any one of the three migration test results exceeds the limit.

5.2 Label Identification

5.2.2 Metal base materials shall also be clearly marked with their material type and material composition. If the composition is consistent with the corresponding composition of the national standard designation of China, it can also be represented by the national standard designation of China or a unified digital code, for example, “stainless-steel 06Cr19Ni10” or “stainless-steel S30408”, “aluminum alloy 3004”. 5.2.3 If the food-contact surface is covered with a metal plating, the material of the plating shall also be marked, such as: “chromium plating” and “zinc-nickel alloy plating”, etc. […]

A.1 Food Simulants

In accordance with the types of food that metal materials and products are expected to come into contact with, and Table A.1, select food simulants.

a For uncoated iron frying pan, use 1 g/L citric acid solution as the food simulant.

A.3 Other Requirements

When it is necessary to conduct a food simulant migration test on metal food packaging used in a sealed state (for example, tin-plated or chromium-plated thin steel plate container), the sealed state of the container during normal use shall be simulated as much as possible, so as to prevent air from entering the container. […]