EU Food Safety
EU Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006 - GMP for Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with Food
Plain-language explanation, inspection context and common violation patterns.
What it says
This Regulation sets out rules on good manufacturing practice for the groups of materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, requiring manufacturers to operate an effective quality assurance system, a quality control system and to keep documentation, so that materials and articles consistently comply with the rules that apply to them and with their intended use.
Paraphrased for plain-language clarity. Always verify against the current published regulation text.
What it means in practice
- It is the GMP companion to the food contact materials framework regulation, bringing a quality system discipline to packaging and article manufacturers.
- Quality assurance covers the starting materials, the production process and the documentation, and quality control covers testing and monitoring.
- Packaging manufacturers supplying food companies are an important link in the supply chain, and customers may audit against these requirements.
What inspectors look for
- Whether a quality assurance system and quality control system exist and function.
- Whether documentation allows compliance of products to be shown.
- Whether starting materials are controlled and suitable.
Most common violation
A manufacturer of food contact materials with no documented quality system showing that products consistently meet requirements.
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