Materials and solutions for the food industry 

The use of food-grade plastics that meet the most stringent specifications of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European food contact regulations is an important requirement for food processing companies. For the Chinese market, Chinese food regulations must also be observed. As a processor of thermoplastics, Ensinger offers a wide range of solutions for corresponding applications. We offer many products from our standard portfolio of thermoplastics with the corresponding approvals for food contact. These products meet the special requirements of food technology in terms of safety and performance. 

Ensinger issues product-specific food contact suitability certificates for its compatible materials. These certificates refer to FDA approval for raw materials, compliance with Regulation 1935/2004/EU, 10/2011/EU (specific measures for plastics) and 2023/2006/EU on good manufacturing practice (GMP) for materials and articles intended to come into contact with food. For the Chinese food market we offer certificates according to the Chinese GB standards
GB 4806.1-2016 as well as GB 4806.6-2016 (positive list for plastics) and GB 9685-2016 (for additives). 

Thanks to their light weight and ease of processing, food contact plastics can replace metals in a wide range of applications, such as in plants and equipment for meat, fish, and poultry processing, as well as for dairy, bakery, and confectionery production. Food contact materials from Ensinger can improve production, speed and safety in the manufacturing process. 

We also offer special plastics for the most common detection methods. As an alternative to conventional plastics, our portfolio includes blue materials for optical detection as well as plastics exhibiting multiple detective traits. These include our blue detectable products that are also metal and X-ray-detectable for direct food contact applications. We offer all these products as standard. This increases safety during processing and reduces costs. 

Our technical department will be happy to assist you in selecting the most suitable materials and appropriate processing methods for your food application. This also includes the development of new materials.

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Benefits for the FOOD industry

Food compliant plastics

Ensinger offers food contact plastics that meet the most stringent quality and safety requirements in terms of production safety, full traceability and product certification. Our portfolio for food-safe materials includes materials that meet the requirements of the FDA, EU Regulation 10/2011/EU or GB 4806.1-2016. Information on other regulations will be gladly provided upon request. 

Detectability to avoid contamination

In food processing lines, identifying possible plastic fragments in the food is an essential function. Our portfolio of blue materials for food contact and metal- or X-ray-detectable plastics can improve safety in food production. At the same time, international regulations to control and limit possible migration of substances from the material into the food can be met to avoid harmful effects. 
 
Due to their good visibility and quick detectability in production, blue materials are much more suitable than materials of other colors. All plastics for food contact of the ID (inductive detectable) and UD (ultra detectable) series are manufactured with special additives to make them detectable by means of a metal detector (ID) or additionally by X-ray detection (UD). Furthermore, the specifications for food contact are fulfilled. For this reason, we offer these products in blue coloration as standard. 

Food technology portfolio

Our product portfolio offers a variety of different engineering and high-performance plastics in a wide range of forms for various applications in food technology, with and without compliance with food contact specifications. There are a variety of applications for food plastics in conjunction with meat, fish and poultry processing equipment and systems. Food grade plastics offered by Ensinger can improve production, speed and safety in dairy, bakery and confectionery manufacturing. 

Lightweight components

When it comes to metal substitution, the weight reduction achievable through the use of plastics, is an important factor. In food processing applications, this can help increase processing speed and production efficiency.

No lubrication required

When components or sliding parts made of metal are replaced by plastic parts, no external lubrication is usually required. This can reduce the risk of food contamination with oils or greases. Ensinger offers food contact plastics that meet the most stringent quality and safety requirements in terms of production reliability, seamless traceability and product certification. 
plastics example conveyor screw

Resistant to cleaning agents

When selecting the right plastics for regularly cleaned and sterilised food contact components, there is no need to provide additional protection against corrosion. This would only be the case with metals (e.g. painting, surface treatment or use of special, cost-intensive alloys). All Ensinger food contact plastics have resistance to cleaning agents to ensure the reusability and safety of the components. In addition, the use of blue materials allows the cleanliness of components to be detected more quickly, as spores, mold, and residues from food and cleaning agents can be detected more quickly than with materials of other colors. 

One-Stop Shop Solution Provider - Everything from a Single Source

Ensinger value chain for the food industry
As a full-range supplier of high-performance plastics for the food industry, Ensinger relies on a fully integrated value chain. Specifically tailored to the stringent requirements of the food industry, Ensinger produces a wide variety of polymer compounds, semi-finished products and filaments in-house. These are processed into safe and competitive components at our sites using innovative plastics processing technologies.

finished parts for the food industry

Products for the food industry

Solutions for Food industry

  • Blue materials are used extensively in the food industry because they provide excellent visibility (optical detection) and rapid detectability of plastic contaminants in food during production.
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  • Aggressive chemicals are used to clean equipment used in food processing. To ensure that food contact plastics can withstand these conditions, we provide an overview of their chemical resistance.
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  • Materials that comply with FDA approval regulations for raw materials and regulations 1935/2004/EU, 10/2011/EU and  2023/2006/EU, and allow seamless traceability. 
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  • In food processing plants equipped with metal detectors, our detectable "ID" and "UD" families of materials can be used to achieve better control. 
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  • Plastics in food industry applications often require great versatility. This is especially true when it comes to the various methods of detecting unwanted particles in the food zone. Ultra-Detectable (UD) products from Ensinger are designed for visibility in the three most commonly used in-line particle detection systems: optical detectors, metal detectors and X-ray detectors. 
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  • Food processing often involves the movement or packaging of food. Therefore, the sliding or rubbing behavior of plastics for food contact is an important property for which Ensinger has multiple solutions.
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FOOD CASE STUDIES

Needle block

Needleblock

made of TECAFORM AH blue

Needleblock for meat processing
Not only the components which come into direct contact with food should be made of materials which comply with food contact regulations. This block is a component of a fully automated system developed to enhance flavour and shelf life by saline injection using needles, so safety is an important requirement.
Scraper

Food scraper

made of TECAFORM AH ID blue

Food Scraper in safety with POM-C detectable
In the food industry, most filling machines use a scraper in the funnel to ensure a constant flow of the food. In this component for meat or sausage meat, the customer was used to making the scraper of TECAFORM AH natural, an acetal food grade, but decided to change to using TECAFORM AH ID blue in order to improve detection of any plastic contamination in food.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS in the food industry

  • Semi-finished products or cut blanks are produced with plus tolerances in accordance with DIN so that the outer shell and consequently any discolouration or scuffing can be removed without fail during finished part production. 
  • The main objective is to exclude negative reciprocal impact between the plastic component and the contacted foods in the form of organoleptic, colour related and primarily toxic effects. Seamlessly applied declarations of conformity at every manufacturing level are key tools in the assurance of food safety. Added to this are traceability data using the methods of good manufacturing practice (GMP) implemented in quality assurance systems with verifiable documentation of product and process data.
  • Ensinger semi-finished plastics for food industry are compliant to directives for raw material approval of FDA regulations. Read more about FDA and Ensinger products.
  • Our products and parts are not finished products with a final defined purpose and geometry as specified by the regulations. Final testing for the specific application requires knowledge of all application conditions. Influencing factors include the contact medium, contact time, and temperature and cleaning conditions. Consequently, no definitive and final assessment of migration values can be carried out on the component by the stock shapes supplier. This task remains the responsibility of the plant manufacturer or operator, on the basis of the migration limit information provided.

  • Ensinger`s plastic materials designed for food industry are manufactured in compliance with Reg. (EU) No 10/2011 and FDA approval for raw material. Find out more:

    FAQs
  • Drinking water is monitored in accordance with special regulations not internationally standardized at present. See more in our FAQs section.
  • In this context, Ensinger is a supplier of products which have no use-specific finished part geometry. Following additional processing steps to become a finished part, final inspection must be carried out on the premises of the company which distributes the end product, taking into consideration the final component design. Testing on the semi-finished product can do no more than providing an indication. It does not reflect the final status of the product (such as its surface quality). 
  • Food simulants conforming to a certain food category are selected in accordance with table 2 in Annex III of the regulation. Testing the migration value in food simulants A, B and D2 (or where applicable using substitute simulants), includes all kinds of foods. This also encompasses foods for which the simulants C, D1 and E are assigned where applicable in table 2. 

  • Thanks to a specific traceability method Ensinger is able to determine and trace the complete process chain of its semi-finished materials. Find out more:

    FAQs

  • To ensure that products cannot be confused or mistaken, a product code is imprinted on them which contains the product name, article number and production batch. 

  • The coding ink and colored printing inks are tested and are verified as physiologically harmless.