Testing Standard For Silicone Products: LFGB Vs FDA

Safety standard for molded silicone parts: LFGB vs FDA

For molded silicone products, kitchenware like bakeware, ice trays, and baby products like baby bib, and baby teether, which contact directly with the food or body, awareness, and expectations of safety related to the silicone raw material has risen. People always ask: is silicone safe?

To be honest, this is a big question, and till now, there is no clear answer to it. It’s widely accepted that silicone is a relatively safe material due to its excellent temperature and chemical resistance.

Many experts and authorities consider silicone to be nontoxic and safe for contact with food and drink. For example,

Health Canada states:Silicone is a synthetic rubber which contains bonded silicon (a natural element which is very abundant in sand and rock) and oxygen.Cookware made from food grade silicone has become popular in recent years because it is colorful, nonstick, stain-resistant, hard-wearing, cools quickly, and tolerates extremes of temperature. There are no known health hazards associated with use of silicone cookware. Silicone rubber does not react with food or beverages, or produce any hazardous fumes.

So far, no safety problems have been reported. But if you’re concerned about it, you can have your products tested to make sure it’s safe. For silicone products, there are mainly two standards, one is LFGB food-grade, and another is FDA food-grade.

LFGB is standard mainly for Europe, while FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is standard in America(though the different country has their own FDA standard, US FDA is internationally applied.) Silicone products that pass either one of these tests are safe for human use. In terms of pricing, products in LFGB standard will be more expensive than FDA standard, so FDA is more widely used.

The difference between LFGB and FDA lies in the different way of testing methods, and LFGB is more comprehensive and more strict.

FDA Test Method:

LFGB test Method:

When developing your own great products, please inform us in advance if you have special requirements on material, raw material test reports can be provided. For finished products, we don’t offer test reports but can offer customer samples for them to do the test.