We're a food manufacturing facility and we get asked by our customers for (Safety Data Sheets) SDS for Cheese, milk powders etc. We do not provided SDS for these as they are food. Safety data sheets are only required by law where a material has been identified as being hazardous or dangerous or both. We have a document stating why we don't provide these:
Material safety data sheets M(SDS) are required by law to be provided by a supplier who manufactures and/or supplies materials that have been classified as a dangerous good, a hazardous substance or both.
According to the definitions provided below, the products and materials that are manufactured by us are not prescribed as either a hazardous substance or dangerous goods.
The products produced are manufactured from milk produced by dairy cows and are as such classified as food.
As these products are classified as food and they are not considered to be either a hazardous substance or dangerous goods, We do not provide a M(SDS) for any of our milk based dairy products.
Safety Data Sheets: (Previously: Material Safety Data Sheets):
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a document that provides health and safety information about products, substances or chemicals that are classified as hazardous substances or dangerous goods.
We provide a link to our government worksafe site that states:
Safety data sheets
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a document that provides health and safety information about products, substances or chemicals that are classified as hazardous substances or dangerous goods. If you buy one of these products, it should come with an SDS.
We include the following definitions in our statement
Hazardous Substances
Hazardous substances’ are substances that have the potential to harm human health. They may be solids, liquids or gases; they may be pure substances or mixtures. When used in the workplace, these substances often generate vapours, fumes, dusts and mists. A wide range of industrial, laboratory and agricultural chemicals are classified as hazardous.
Dangerous Goods:
Dangerous goods are classified on the basis of immediate physical or chemical effects, such as fire, explosion, corrosion and poisoning, affecting property, the environment or people. Whilst it is true that fine dusts of dry foods such as skim milk powder can be explosive, this is true of any powder with non-zero calorific value. This risk is well known and not the result of some special characteristic of the food. In the same way, grains and dry foods can cause death by smothering if someone is completely covered. Again, this is not the result of some special characteristic of the food
