The food processing industry is one of the sectors where the choice of plastic material directly affects the safety of the end consumer. A part in contact with foodstuffs, whether directly or indirectly, must be manufactured from a material certified for this type of contact. It must in particular be resistant to the cleaning and disinfection products used in the food industries, and must be traceable throughout the entire production chain.
At Plastisart, we produce plastic parts and sub-assemblies for manufacturers of food processing equipment, packaging lines, transformation equipment and food presentation equipment. Our mastery of Food grade materials and our documented quality control allow us to meet the specific requirements of this sector with rigour.
Design and prototyping
- Comprehensive support, from design to industrialization
- Detailed identification of your technical needs
- Advice on the choice of the most suitable technologies
The technical requirements of the food processing and childcare sector
Compliance for food contact (Food Grade)
Materials in direct or indirect contact with foodstuffs must comply with European regulation EU 10/2011 on plastic materials intended for food contact. At Plastisart, we use exclusively certified grades for parts intended for food applications, and we provide the corresponding declarations of conformity.
Resistance to cleaning and disinfection products
Food processing equipment is subject to intensive cleaning cycles with alkaline, acid and disinfectant products. The selected materials must maintain their mechanical properties and surface integrity after thousands of cleaning cycles. HDPE, PP, POM and PVDF are the most common materials for these applications due to their excellent chemical resistance.
Absence of migration and absorption
Plastics in food contact must not transfer chemical substances to foodstuffs beyond regulatory limits. The choice of material and grade, as well as the absence of non-compliant additives, are verified from the design phase.
Surface cleanability
Parts in food contact must be designed without corners or crevices where food residues could accumulate. Our design office integrates these hygienic design principles from CAD modelling: generous radii, smooth surfaces and angles accessible to cleaning.
Material traceability
For food-contact parts, traceability of the raw material batch is a systematic requirement. Each production is accompanied by conformity certificates of the material used to allow complete traceability in the event of an audit or regulatory inspection.
Some application cases in the food processing and childcare sector
Food transformation equipment
Guides, slides, rollers, conveyor pallets, transfer tanks and contact parts for food transformation lines. These parts are primarily machined in HDPE, POM or Food grade PA, with geometries adapted to hygiene and cleaning constraints.
Packaging and packing lines
The guiding, forming and handling parts on packaging lines incorporate plastic components that must combine dimensional precision, wear resistance and food compliance. POM and PA are the preferred materials for these mechanical applications.
Presentation and storage structures
Presentation trays, shelf structures, storage tanks and display case equipment for food distribution and collective catering are produced in PMMA, ABS or HDPE according to appearance and resistance requirements. Our expertise in thermoforming and optical bonding is particularly suited to transparent displays for butchers, fishmongers and caterers.
Tanks, vats and retention structures
Storage tanks, soaking vats, containment structures and food fluid treatment equipment are produced in welded HDPE or PP fabrication. The chemical resistance of these materials to organic acids, cleaning products and food fluids makes them logical choices for these applications.
Childcare and children's products
Plastic parts intended for childcare are subject to particularly strict regulatory requirements: absence of hazardous substances (phthalates, BPA, heavy metals), compliance with EN 71 standards for toys and EN 1888 for pushchairs. We work with certified plastic grades for these specific applications with the corresponding compliance documentation.
Wide range of food grade materials available at Plastisart
Our range of certified materials for food contact includes:
- Food grade HDPE (inert, weldable, chemically resistant)
- Food grade PP (lightweight, resistant to cleaning products, weldable)
- Food grade POM (mechanical precision, low friction, cleanable)
- Food grade PA (mechanical resistance, thermal stability)
- PVDF (maximum chemical resistance for the most aggressive environments)
- Food grade PMMA and PC for transparent applications
Compliance documentation and proof provided
For each batch of custom plastic parts for this sector, we provide on request:
- Declarations of conformity to regulation EU 10/2011
- Material certificates 2.1 and 3.1 with batch identification
- Safety data sheets
- Documents required by your internal quality procedures
- Documents required by your certification audits (BRC, IFS, ISO 22000)
Why choose Plastisart for a food plastics or childcare project?
In food processing and childcare, compliance of plastic materials is not an option — it is a legal obligation and a responsibility towards the end consumer. At Plastisart, this responsibility is integrated into our process from material selection, documented at every production run and traceable throughout the entire service life of the parts.
