Quick answer: “Food grade” stretch film means film that’s made and declared safe to touch food directly. In Great Britain that means it meets the food contact materials rules and comes with a declaration of compliance from the supplier. You only need it when the film will, or could, touch unwrapped food, such as open trays of produce or bread. Most pallet wrap in the food industry goes round food that’s already packed in boxes, bags, bottles, cans or crates, and for that job ordinary stretch film is fine.

If you supply food, sooner or later someone will ask whether your pallet wrap is food grade. The honest answer is that it depends on where the film ends up. Here’s what the term means, what the rules say, and how to tell which film your loads need.

What “food grade” means

There’s no single official “food grade” label. People use the phrase to mean a material that’s safe to be in direct contact with food. For plastic film, that has a specific legal meaning. The film has to be made from permitted substances, it mustn’t pass anything into the food in amounts that could harm health or change the food’s taste, smell or look, and the supplier has to be able to prove it.

The rules in Great Britain

Food contact materials in Great Britain are covered by retained law based on Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, which sets the general safety rules, and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, which covers plastics. In England, the Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 put these into force, and the Food Standards Agency oversees them. The other UK nations have their own matching regulations.

In practice, for plastic film that’s meant to touch food, this means:

it’s made only from substances allowed for food contact
it has been tested for migration, which checks how much of the plastic can pass into food
the supplier provides a written declaration of compliance
it’s labelled for food contact, with the words “for food contact” or the glass and fork symbol, unless its use is obvious

The Food Standards Agency’s guidance on food contact materials sets out the detail.

When pallet wrap touches food and when it doesn’t

This is the question that matters. The rules apply to materials that are meant to touch food, or that could reasonably be expected to.

Film doesn’t touch the food when it’s wrapped round:

cartons and cases of packed food
bottles, cans and jars
sealed bags and sacks
shrink-wrapped or sealed multipacks

Film could touch the food when it’s wrapped round:

open crates or trays of fruit and vegetables
trays of bread or bakery goods
unwrapped cheese, meat or fish
loose produce stacked straight onto a pallet

For the first group, the film is outer transport packaging and ordinary stretch film is the normal choice. For the second group, use film that’s made and declared for food contact.

Recycled content and food contact

Recycled plastic can only be used in direct food contact if it comes from a recycling process that has been approved for that purpose. Most post-consumer recycled plastic used in pallet wrap isn’t from an approved food contact process. So film with recycled content is made for wrapping packed goods, not for touching unwrapped food.

That’s worth knowing because of the Plastic Packaging Tax. Film with at least 30% recycled content isn’t taxed, which makes recycled film the cheaper choice for most pallets. Our guide to stretch film and Plastic Packaging Tax explains the rules. If you have both kinds of load, you can keep a food contact film for open produce and use recycled film for everything else.

Hygiene still matters

Even when the film never touches food, food sites expect packaging to be kept clean. A few simple habits help:

keep rolls in their boxes until you use them
store them off the floor, somewhere dry and away from chemicals
don’t use rolls that have been dropped in dirt or water
keep the wrapping area clean and free of pests

Our guide on storing stretch film rolls has more on this. Food safety audits often ask for a specification for each packaging item you use, so keep the product details for your pallet wrap on file.

Clear or black film in food supply chains

Clear film is the usual choice for food loads, because goods, labels and date codes can be seen and scanned without unwrapping the pallet. Black film is useful for high-value food and drink, where you’d rather the contents weren’t on show during transport. Our clear vs black guide compares the two.

Our film and food loads

Our rolls are made for wrapping packed goods on pallets. Every roll contains at least 30% post-consumer recycled plastic, so they’re not meant to touch unwrapped food. For boxed, bagged, bottled, canned or crated food, they’re a good fit. If you’re not sure which group your loads fall into, tell us what you’re wrapping and we’ll give you a straight answer.

FAQs

Is stretch film food safe?

It depends on the film. Only film made and declared for food contact should touch unwrapped food. Ordinary pallet wrap is fine round food that’s already packed.

Do I need food grade pallet wrap for boxed food?

Usually not. If the food is sealed in its own packaging and the film only touches the outside, it’s transport packaging and food contact rules don’t apply to the film in the same way.

How can I tell if film is approved for food contact?

Ask the supplier for a declaration of compliance. Film meant for food contact should also be labelled with “for food contact” or the glass and fork symbol.

Can recycled stretch film touch food?

Only if the recycled plastic comes from a process approved for food contact. Most recycled pallet wrap is made for packed goods only.

Is kitchen cling film the same as food grade pallet wrap?

No. Kitchen cling film is made to cover food at home. Pallet wrap is thicker and made to hold loads together. Our guide on pallet wrap vs cling film explains the difference.

Food Grade Stretch Film: When Pallet Wrap Needs to Be Food Safe