Food contact grade report usually refers to a collection of test reports and compliance declarations** that prove that the masterbatch meets the requirements of specific food contact regulations.
**A complete "Masterbatch Food Contact Grade Report" usually contains the following core contents:**
1. **Compliance Test Report:** This is the most core part, issued by an accredited third-party laboratory.
* **Migration Test:**
* **Full Migration:** Test the **total amount of all non-volatile substances** that migrate from plastic (using the masterbatch) to food simulants under specific conditions (time, temperature, simulated food type). The results are usually expressed in mg/dm² or mg/kg food, and must comply with regulatory limits (such as 10 mg/dm² in the EU).
* **Specific migration:** Test whether the migration amount of specific restricted substances (such as heavy metals lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium; plasticizers; certain primary aromatic amines; bisphenol A, etc.) is lower than the **specific migration limit** specified by the regulations.
* **Sensory test:** Evaluate whether the plastic products using the masterbatch will migrate into the food to cause **off-flavor or off-smell** substances, or affect the taste of the food. Usually includes odor test and taste test.
* **Ingredient analysis/screening:** Chemical analysis of the masterbatch or the pigments/additives used in it to confirm that it does not contain substances that are explicitly prohibited by regulations from being used in food contact materials (such as certain azo dyes, carcinogens, etc.).
* **Heavy metal content test:** Directly test whether the **content** of restricted heavy metals (such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, etc.) in the masterbatch is lower than the regulatory requirements (such as Cd<100 ppm, Pb<100 ppm in the EU).
* **Other specific tests:** Depending on the target market regulations and the specific ingredients of the masterbatch, primary aromatic amine release testing, phthalate testing, bisphenol A testing, formaldehyde release testing, etc. may also be required.
