Nylon Cutting Boards
Hi I wonder if anyone can help me.
Our maintenance department have purchased some nylon cutting table tops from a local supplier. I am not confident that they are suitable for cutting food on. The only information I can get from my technical support is do they conform to Regulations (EC) 1935/2004?
Can anyone explain to me in quite simple terms what I need to be looking for, is it as simple as looking for a standard stamp??
Thanks in advance.
Kevin
Hi I wonder if anyone can help me.
Our maintenance department have purchased some nylon cutting table tops from a local supplier. I am not confident that they are suitable for cutting food on. The only information I can get from my technical support is do they conform to Regulations (EC) 1935/2004?
Can anyone explain to me in quite simple terms what I need to be looking for, is it as simple as looking for a standard stamp??
Thanks in advance.
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
May i ask what product is to be cut on them ? Fish ?
Hi Charles,
We cut meat mainly Poultry and Porcine products...
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
This is a rather congested/contested product market. I forgot to ask what you are going to replace it for - Wood ?
From a documented FS POV, one unchallengeable criterion is that the board should be Food Grade, eg -
http://www.eplastics...e-cutting-board
http://www.directpla...o.uk/hdpe-sheet
From googling i get the impression that "Nylon" sometimes = HDPE
My experience is only with HDPE/Seafood where the board sanitary quality versus wood is still debated. In fact one can get food grade wooden boards -
http://www.nisbets.c...c03c01c04.r12.1
You may need a litttle more product info. to make any meaningful judgement.
PS - i am assuming that (labelled) Food Grade items do exist in UK ?
I think Charles is correct, most chopping boards that I have come across are Polyethylene based. Many also no incorporate a range of anti-bacterial additives.
EC1935/2004 is the 'framework' food contact legislation. As they are plastic, they should comply with the more specific EU10/2011.If your local supplier is selling them as cutting boards for food, he is responsible for ensuring that they meet the requirements and he should also provide you with a Declaration of Compliance to EU10/2011. This may mean that he (or his supplier) has to undertake migration testing. The Declaration has a legally defined format and is not a simple one-liner. It is laid out in Annex iv of 10/2011.
They should also be made under GMP principles defined by EU2023/2006.
In terms of how you can check, it is not easy without this Declaration. It is possible that they have been stamped with the 'glass and fork' symbol but I have never seen this. It is fairly common for the statement to be made on accompanying paperwork or packaging but this has a habit of being lost over time.
My advice would be to ask them to provide a Declaration if they haven't done so. These boards are not cheap and I think it is not unreasonable to expect the supplier to provide what he is legally obliged to do.
Auditors frequently ask for this evidence.
Good Luck