What does LFGB certified mean?

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Update time : 2026-02-27

For enterprises engaged in food contact materials, the German market is an attractive blue ocean. However, the threshold of “LFGB certified” has caused many enterprises to stumble: goods detained during customs clearance, forced rework due to non-compliant test resULts, missed orders caused by unfamiliarity with regulatory details, etc. In fact, lfgb certification is not an insurmountable challenge. With the right professional partner, you can easily open the green channel for exporting to Germany.

JJR LAB has been deeply engaged in compliance testing of food contact materials for many years. With authoritative qualifications and efficient services, we help you avoid all compliance pitfalls and enable your products to quickly enter the German market!

What does LFGB certified mean?(图1)

What is lfgb certified? Why is it mandatory?

LFGB (Lebensmittel- und Futtermittelgesetzbuch) is the abbreviation of the German Food and Feed Code. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is responsible for its technical guidance.

All food contact materials sold in Germany must comply with the LFGB standards to ensure that no migrated substances endanger human health.

Which products need LFGB certified?

①　Tableware: bowls, plates, cups, knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks, placemats

②　Food containers: crisper boxes, lunch boxes, storage jars, bottles, cans

③　Kitchen utensils: cookware, baking trays, baking molds, scrapers, cutting boards

④　Food packaging: plastic bags, paper bags, aluminum foil bags, plastic wrap, disposable lunch boxes

⑤　Contact parts of small household appliances: inner pots of rice cookers, brewing heads of coffee machines, cups of juicers

⑥　Auxiliary accessories: sealing rings, bottle caps, silicone pads, release papers

LFGB certified testing items

Material Type	Testing Items
Plastics, Silicone, Rubber	Overall Migration
Plastics, Rubber, Organic Coatings	Special Migration of Primary Aromatic Amines (PAA) in 3% Acetic Acid
Plastics, Organic Coatings	Extractable Heavy Metals in 3% Acetic Acid (Al, Sb, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Eu, Gd, Fe, La, Pb, Li, Mn, Hg, Ni, Tb, Zn, W)
Silicone	Volatile Organic Matter (VOM) Test
Plastics	Content Test of Cr, Zr, V, Hf<br>Special Migration of Terephthalic Acid in 3% Acetic Acid<br>Special Migration of Acetaldehyde in 3% Acetic Acid
Rubber	Formaldehyde Migration in 3% Acetic Acid<br>Migration of Nitrosamines and Nitrosating Substances in Artificial Saliva (for oral contact products such as pacifiers and balloons)
Paper	Formaldehyde Emission<br>Glyoxal Emission
Organic Coatings	BPA Extraction Test in 3% Acetic Acid<br>Formaldehyde Extraction Test<br>Hexavalent Chromium Extraction Test<br>Trivalent Chromium Extraction Test
Organic Coatings, Metals	24 Heavy Metals Extraction Test in 0.5% Citric Acid / Artificial Tap Water
CeraMICs, Glass	Pb, Cd, Co Extraction in 4% Acetic Acid
Enamel	16 Heavy Metals Extraction in 3% Acetic Acid (Al, Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, Zn)
Wood	Formaldehyde Extraction Test in 3% Acetic Acid
Paper, Wood	Pentachlorophenol
All Materials	Sensory Test

LFGB certified testing equipment

Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)

It is the ultimate judge of "heavy metal safety" for materials. When your metal cookware, ceramic glazes or plastic containers come into contact with food, ICP-OES accurately detects harmful elements that may be released, such as lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel and arsenic.

Its working principle is to excite the sample solution at high temperature and quantify by analyzing the characteristic spectra emitted by elements. With extremely high sensitivity, it can accurately determine whether products meet the strict limits of heavy metal migration set by LFGB, fundamentally preventing the risk of chronic poisoning.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

It can efficiently separate and accurately identify trace organic compounds migrated from materials.

From carcinogenic primary aromatic amines and endocrine-disrupting phthalate plasticizers to monomer residues and solvents in printing inks, GC-MS can conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With high sensitivity and powerful spectrum library matching function, it is the most critical tool to meet the strict organic control requirements of LFGB, providing conclusive evidence for complex organic risks.

Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS)

For specific concerned elements in materials, the high sensitivity of ICP-MS is used to achieve ultra-trace level quantification (some element limits are as low as ppb level), ensuring the accuracy of test results.

Electric Heating Blast Drying Oven

Firstly, for sample condition adjustment: precise temperature-controlled drying ensures all test samples are in a unified and stable initial state.

Secondly, it completes the core step of the overall migration test: thoroughly drying and constant weighing the evaporation residues after soaking samples in simulated solutions, so as to calculate the overall migration of non-volatile substances, which is a mandatory basic test item of LFGB.

It ensures all subsequent chemical analyses are carried out under real and reproducible service conditions.