FDA food grade gasket and seal materials

FDA Approved & Food Grade Gaskets

The Food and Drug Administration FDA regulates materials that are in contact with food or beverages during processing, packaging or storage. Gaskets and seals used for food processing must also meet these regulatory standards. Excelsior offers a number of different gasket materials that are food grade and certified to meet FDA standards.

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Food Safe Rubber Gaskets & Seals

Oftentimes FDA approved rubber will be offered in white color, although they can be offered in other colors as well. For applications requiring FDA-compliant materials, a wide range of food-grade rubber options are available. The most popular rubber choices include Nitrile, Neoprene, Silicone and EPDM, with additional FDA approved materials like Urethane, Viton and Natural Rubber.

It's important to note that these food-safe materials retain the same general characteristics as their standard commercial-grade counterparts. Beyond solid rubber, both open-cell silicone foam and closed-cell silicone sponge are also available in an FDA-approved version.

The core purpose of using these gasket materials is to ensure consumer safety. They undergo rigorous testing to confirm they do not leach harmful chemicals or additives when in contact with food. This makes these gaskets and seals specifically suitable for all stages of food handling, including production, manufacturing, packing, processing, transport, and storage.

The food grade gasket material selection is often determined by specific performance needs:

Neoprene is designed to resist breaking down from exposure to various foods and oils, which ensures the gasket's integrity and longevity.
EPDM is capable of withstanding environmental impacts as well as the wide temperature ranges found in cooking, cleaning, and refrigeration processes.
Silicone is known for its high temperature resilience, purity and stability.
Nitrile is highly valued for its resistance to oils and fats, making it an ideal choice for many food applications.

FDA-Certified Plastic Gaskets

Since plastic is used extensively for food packaging, many of the more popular plastics are FDA approved. These include PET, Polypropylene, HDPE, LDPE, Polycarbonate and Nylon. There are other plastics that are FDA certified as well.

NSF 61 Approved Gaskets

This is a national standard that covers equipment and parts that come in contact with potable water. This can include equipment used to make or purify potable water as well as tanks, valves, faucets, pipes, etc.

We offer certain rubber and plastic products that are NSF 61 compliant.