When it comes to food, we want to be sure that it is free of harmful substances. In order to guarantee food safety, not only the food itself, but also the materials that come into contact with it must meet particularly stringent criteria. This also applies to sealing materials. In China, specific standards were created in 2016 with the two standards GB 4806 and GB 9685, which deviate from the existing relevant American and European regulations. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has now successfully tested two proven VMQ materials 70 VMQ 117055 and 60 VMQ 117117 for their conformity with Chinese regulations. 

The Chinese standard GB 9685 specifies which ingredients may contain materials that come into contact with food in a so-called positive list. A large number of seal-relevant ingredients that conform to 21 CFR 177.2600 of FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) and European EU (Reg.) 1935/2004 are not listed here. This applies above all to elastomers. For a global food release, new material compositions must therefore be developed or proven materials tested for their conformity with the specifications.

The basic requirements for gasket materials as well as the sensory tests and migration tests are defined in standard GB 4806. After the two newly developed EPDM materials 75 EPDM 386 and 85 EPDM 387 have already successfully passed the tests, the two VMQ materials are now also up to the requirements of the Chinese standards after extensive tests. For example, the silicones in the migration measurement in mg/dm2 with a result of <1 are far below the specified limit of ≤10. In addition to the EPDM materials, which are characterized by media resistance, good processing behavior and a long service life, a grease-resistant material selection for use in contact with food is now also available for the Chinese market.