Cookware Testing / Food Contact Testing

Regulations vary depending on where the product is distributed.

However, there are some common cookware laboratory tests that brands and retailers should know:

1. Burning resistance test ensures handles remain unaffected by heat.
   The bottom part of the handle, including any embedded or inlaid parts made of organic material, should not melt or continue to burn.
2. Heat resistance tests ensure that products are free of cracks or splits, and determine the maximum temperature at which the item can be used.
   Any furniture designed to be affixed to the primary structure of a product should exhibit no cracks or blisters following a test at a temperature of (150 ± 5) °C for one hour. This requirement does not apply to purely ornamental elements, such as thermoplastic inserts or covers.
3. Bending strength test is used to ensure that the handle can withstand a bending force of 100N.
   None of the components of the handle or its attachment system should break or come loose when subjected to a bending force of 100 N for 30 seconds.
4. Resistance to fatigue involves subjecting cookware products to loads greater than their capacity to ensure they don’t fail after multiple uses.
   The handle assembly must endure 15,000 cycles without any permanent deformation or loosening of the handle or its attachment system. If any loosening of the handle is observed, it is permissible to tighten it as instructed in the user and maintenance guide. Any deformation less than 5% of the handle’s length, measured from the handle’s end, is disregarded unless it affects product safety or functionality.
5. Resistance to torque is the measure of the cookware handle’s ability to resist rotational forces on the screw axis, avoiding handle rotation beyond the set angle.
   After the test, the movement of the handle shall be no more than 10° in either direction. This test should not cause any harm that impacts the functionality of the handle, ferrule, or fixing system.
6. Resistance to pull off handle assembly
   The handle assembly should be able to endure a dynamic impact of 1.5 Nm without experiencing any fractures or decrease in the stability of the handle or the fixing system.
7. Specific migration of metals release – EDQM 23 HV metal test Metals and alloys used in food contact materials and articles shall not transfer their constituents to foods in quantities exceeding the specific release limits (SRLs). This is to ensure that, under normal and foreseeable conditions of use, they do not pose a risk to human health, cause an unacceptable change in the food composition or lead to a deterioration in its organoleptic properties.