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Analysis of Food-Contact Materials （FCMs)
WESSLING provides high-standard analysis services for food contact materials in accordance with Chinese national standards. We not only deliver accurate data, but also provide the ability to anticipate and manage supply chain risks.
Food safety is a critical issue that affects the health of every family’s dining table. Among the many aspects of food safety, the safety of food contact materials (FCMs) serves as a crucial “first line of defense.” From everyday tableware and kitchen utensils to the wide variety of food packaging, these materials may leach chemicals when they come into contact with food, potentially affecting consumer health.
In the face of an increasingly stringent and constantly evolving regulatory landscape, WESSLING—a global expert in testing, inspection, and compliance consulting—is committed to providing high-standard testing and analysis services in accordance with national standards, helping your products meet compliance requirements and earn the trust of the market.
Introduction to China's National Standards for FCMs
China’s national standards for food contact materials, with the GB 4806 series as their core framework, have established a comprehensive compliance chain that spans “from resin to finished product, and from positive lists to migration testing.” The core logic of this system is built on four pillars:
1. General Safety Requirements—GB 4806.1
As the “framework standard” for food contact materials, GB 4806.1 establishes general safety requirements for various materials and articles, including basic requirements, principles of conformity, testing methods, and product information and traceability.
Notably, in August 2025, the National Health Commission released a draft for public comment on the latest version of this standard. It clarifies safety assessment requirements for non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) and provides detailed compliance pathways for multi-material composites, composite materials, and coated products. In the future, this standard will replace both the current GB 4806.1-2016 and GB 4806.13-2023 standards. This revision signals a comprehensive upgrade to the general safety requirements.
2. Material-Specific Standards—GB 4806 Series
The GB 4806 series covers virtually all materials: plastics (GB 4806.7), paper and paperboard (GB 4806.8), metals (GB 4806.9), coatings (GB 4806.10), rubber (GB 4806.11), bamboo and wood (GB 4806.12), inks (GB 4806.14), adhesives (GB 4806.15), and even the latest standalone standard for silicone rubber products introduced in 2025 (GB 4806.16). Each material has its own specific migration limits and compliance requirements.
3.Positive List of Food Additives—GB 9685
GB 9685, “Standards for the Use of Additives in Food Contact Materials and Articles,” employs a positive list system to clearly specify restrictions such as the permitted scope of use, maximum levels, and specific migration limits (SMLs) for additives, monomers, and polymerization aids in various materials.
4. Standardized Test Methods—GB 31604 Series
This series of nearly 70 standards serves as the core technical foundation for the closed-loop compliance system, covering everything from “General Requirements for Migration Testing” to precise methods for determining the migration levels and residue levels of hundreds of specific substances. The intensive updates to numerous method standards between 2025 and 2026 have further enhanced the scope and accuracy of testing.
China’s regulatory for food contact materials is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Passively waiting means accumulating risks. By partnering with WESSLING, you are ensuring that your product upgrades and brand reputation are backed by the most robust scientific expertise and precise guidance.
WESSLING’s Food Contact Materials Analysis Services
We strictly adhere to the GB 4806 and GB 31604 series of method standards and offer the following precise testing services:
- Migration testing: total migration, migration of specific elements (lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, etc.), and migration of specific substances such as bisphenol A, plasticizers, formaldehyde, and melamine;
- Sensory and physical properties: color, turbidity, potassium permanganate consumption, evaporable residue, etc., to ensure that the material’s characteristics do not affect food quality;
- Screening for substances of high concern: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), photoinitiators, perfluoro- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aromatic amines, and other trace risk substances;
- Analysis of “Non-Intentionally Added Substances” (NIAS): “Non-Intentionally Added Substances” refer to impurities or byproducts that may be passively introduced during the production process; their safety must be included in the assessment.
- Material Traceability and Failure Analysis: Provides root cause analysis for quality issues such as odors, discoloration, and coating peeling.
Why WESSLING?
- Originating in Germany, with a focus on standards: As Europe’s leading consumer goods testing organization, WESSLING has accumulated over 40 years of industry experience. We combine German precision with the deepest regulatory insights in China to ensure your products seamlessly meet Chinese national standards.
- Customized Expert Solutions: WESSLING’s product safety experts rigorously categorize consumer goods into four major groups. For food contact products, we tailor the scope of testing and testing strategies from the initial planning stage by taking into account material characteristics, intended use conditions, and supply chain composition, ensuring that no hidden risks are overlooked.
- Comprehensive Technical Support Loop: From screening against the positive list of raw materials and designing migration testing strategies to comprehensive testing of the final product and drafting declarations of conformity, we establish an efficient technical loop encompassing “assessment—testing—verification,” ultimately maximizing the consistency of results.
- State-of-the-art equipment and rapid project support: Leveraging our network of world-class laboratories, we are not only capable of accurately analyzing common substances, but also specialize in the identification and quantification of trace levels of emerging contaminants.