Geneva (September 19, 2025) – SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has issued SafeGuardS 135.25 to inform stakeholders of a new technical guide published by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM) regarding cork materials and articles intended for contact with food.
The first edition of the guide, “Cork Materials and Articles for Contact with Food – A technical guide for manufacturers and regulators”, supplements Council of Europe Resolution CM/Res(2020) 9 on the safety and quality of materials and articles for food contact. It also supersedes the Council of Europe’s policy statement on cork stoppers and other cork materials intended for food contact (version 2, 2007).
The technical guide applies specifically to food contact cork materials and articles. It defines cork as the protective bark layer harvested from the trunk and branches of cork oak (Quercus suber L.) and lists applications such as cork stoppers, trays, placemats and fruit bowls. Materials other than cork, as well as coatings, paraffin waxes and silicones, are excluded from the scope and must comply with applicable national or European legislation.
Food contact cork materials must comply with the general safety requirements in the Resolution and the list of evaluated substances and their specifications provided in the guide. The guide provides detailed instructions on testing conditions and methods to verify compliance.
For analysis, the guide specifies the use of simulants and conditions from Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 and the European Commission Joint Research Center guidance for kitchenware. It details how to express specific migration values and overall migration values and references EN 1186-1:2002, EN 1186-3:2022 and ISO 10106:2021 for testing cork stoppers. Established limit values from the Resolution appendix are to be applied, and Article 18 of Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 provides rules for assessing compliance.
SGS publishes SafeGuardS to help industry stakeholders stay informed about regulatory and compliance developments. SafeGuardS 135.25 highlights EDQM’s technical guide for cork materials and articles for food contact. Stakeholders are advised to review SafeGuardS 135.25 to stay informed about the requirements and ensure compliance with the technical guide.
SGS Food Contact Material Services
SGS’s technical experts have extensive experience of testing materials and articles in contact with food. They can ensure that your products meet the appropriate regulations for food contact materials and pave the way for compliance. SGS offers the full range of testing, including migration tests, along with expert advice on emerging regulations, compliance issues and documentation review. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Food Contact Material Services.
SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full EDQM Publishes Technical Guideline for Food Contact Cork Materials.
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For further information contact:
Dr. Hingwo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
Tel: +852 2774 7420
Website: www.sgs.com/cp
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products
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