Cookware and Kitchenware Quality Management

All products that enter in contact with food may release harmful substances during their usage; thus assessing the risk of compliance issues and complying with the applicable regulations is a must for any brands, importers or retailers. Heat, cold, lubricants and water can affect the consistency of the product and can create conditions conducive to chemicals migration into the food product and contaminate the food they come into contact with, creating risks for consumer health.

How can consumers be sure that the food container where they are storing their food is safe? Or that the mug where they are drinking their coffee is not releasing harmful chemicals? The kitchen utensils and cookware industry is highly regulated, with strict safety standards to ensure the health and safety of consumers. API laboratories can test according to the relevant directives to maintain chemical and physical safety as well as testing with specific protocols to ensure performance and fit-for-use. 

The rules to follow depend on the material and country. For example, items sold in the EU and the US must comply with regulations such as the EC No. 1935/2004 in the EU or the FDA 21 CFR in the US, which cover the most common materials such as plastics, silicone and rubbers, metals and alloys, ceramics, wood, paper and board, varnishing and end coating, and more.

API can provide support as well with the additional requirements of some countries such as France, Germany and Italy. 

API provides support as well with mechanical risks to respond to fatigue, corrosion, heat resistance, thermal hazards, etc. 

• Because we provide a broad range of testing solutions to comply with your market destination standards. 
• Because we are constantly building our capabilities to meet all the market needs. 
• Because we put in place tailor-made solutions adapted to your needs. 

• Because we are endorsed by the key sector players: leading distributors such as the world’s second-largest mass-market retailer rely on API for their food contact products. 

Ensuring you work with the right suppliers and maintain strict controls throughout product development and manufacturing is also critical. It is vital to understand each factory’s capacities, the origin of the materials used, and that the design is being precisely followed. To improve overall product quality, a factory audit can help you understand and optimize a factory’s capabilities, including:

• Quality management
• Product development 
• Incoming quality control 
• Production process control 
• Finished product quality control 
• Resources management 
• Stock management 
• Measuring & testing equipment control