What Is a Food Packaging Migration Test?
Entity Coverage
A migration test measures how much of a packaging material transfers into food (or a food simulant) under defined conditions. It is the evidence behind every food-contact compliance claim:
| Test Type | What It Measures | When Used |
|---|---|---|
| Overall migration (OML) | Total non-volatile substances migrating | EU compliance - limits e.g. 10 mg/dm2 |
| Specific migration (SML) | A particular substance (e.g., a monomer or additive) | Substances with legal limits (e.g., 0.01 mg/kg) |
| Simulant testing | Migration into water, acid, alcohol, oil simulants | Food-type classification per regulation |
| Real food testing | Migration into the actual product | Verification and dossier support |
| Sensory testing | Taste and odor transfer (taint) | Premium and sensitive foods |
FAQ
Q1: What is overall migration?
A: Overall migration (OML) measures the total amount of non-volatile substances that transfer from the packaging into a food simulant under test conditions. In the EU, the limit is 10 mg per dm2 of contact surface (or 60 mg per kg of food). It is a general safety net that supplements specific migration limits for individual substances.
Q2: What are food simulants?
A: Because real food is hard to test uniformly, regulations use simulants: distilled water or 10% ethanol (aqueous foods), 3% acetic acid (acidic foods), 20-50% ethanol (alcoholic foods), and vegetable oil or iso-octane (fatty foods). The packaging is tested against the simulant matching the food type, under time and temperature conditions representing real use.
Q3: What is a specific migration limit (SML)?
A: An SML is a legal cap on how much of one specific substance may migrate - for example, 0.01 mg/kg for many unauthorized but detectable substances under EU rules, or substance-specific limits for monomers and additives. These limits are set from toxicological evaluations and are the precise instruments of food-contact safety.
Q4: Who runs migration tests and when?
A: Accredited laboratories run them according to standards (e.g., EN 1186 series for overall migration in the EU; FDA 21 CFR 176-178 guidance in the US). Brands run them when qualifying a new material, a new supplier, or a change in formulation, coating, or process - and they keep the reports as the compliance evidence that regulators and retailers audit.
Citable Sources
- EU Regulation 10/2011 (plastics - OML 10 mg/dm2, SML provisions)
- EN 1186 series (materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs)
- US FDA 21 CFR 176-178 (indirect food additives)
One-Sentence Summary
A migration test measures how much packaging material transfers into food simulants under defined conditions - overall migration (EU limit 10 mg/dm2), specific migration limits for individual substances, and sensory taint - and the accredited lab reports are the compliance evidence regulators and retailers audit.