The United States Government regulates the ingredients in rubber products that are intended for use in food contact applications.

The controlling agency is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose guidelines are stated through the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The regulations covering rubber articles are contained in CFR Title 21, Chapter 1, Subchapter B, Part 177, Subpart C, and Paragraph 2600.

The FDA provides two categories for individual food types with rubber compatibility. The Class I category designates foods, including edible oils, butter, milk and milk based products and cooking oils. Rubber compounds that meet these requirements are also compliant with foods in Class II. The second category, Class II, pertains to foods that do not contain edible oils or milk products. Water, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and other aqueous solutions are typical Class II environments. Minnesota Rubber and Plastics has a large selection of compounds with physical property ranges to meet your application needs.

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