Is it called a declaration of compliance or of conformity?

Both are used. The plastics regulation, Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, says "declaration of compliance"; customers often say "declaration of conformity" or DoC. In Italy it's often called the dichiarazione di conformità MOCA.

Does every food contact material need one?

Plastics, regenerated cellulose film, ceramics and active and intelligent materials need a written declaration under their specific EU rules. For other materials, such as paper and board, customers usually ask for one anyway, based on national rules or industry guidelines.

Food contact declaration of conformity (DoC)

Materials and articles that come into contact with food must not transfer their constituents to food in quantities that could endanger health or change the food unacceptably (Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, Article 3). Where specific EU rules apply, as they do for plastics, each business in the chain provides a written declaration of compliance (Article 16), and customers ask for it before they accept a material.

What it must contain (plastics)

For plastic materials, Article 15 and Annex IV of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 set out the content:

the identity and address of the business issuing the declaration;
the identity and address of the business that manufactures or imports the material;
the identity of the material, article, intermediate product or substance;
the date of the declaration;
confirmation that it meets the relevant requirements of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 and of Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004;
information on substances with restrictions or specifications, such as specific migration limits, so that businesses further down the chain can check compliance;
information on dual-use additives, which are also authorised as food additives or flavourings;
specifications on use: the types of food, the time and temperature of contact, and the ratio of food-contact surface to volume used to establish compliance;
for multilayer materials with a functional barrier, confirmation that the barrier works as required.

The tests behind it

Overall and specific migration tests in food simulants, under conditions that match the intended use, carried out by a laboratory or within your own quality system, together with good manufacturing practice under Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006. The declaration is updated when the composition, the supplier of a substance or the rules change.

How Kelpfox helps

Kelpfox reads your migration test reports and specifications and keeps the results per product, with their limits and sources. It fills your customers’ food contact declaration forms and questionnaires from them, in their file and language. The declaration is a draft from your facts, for the person responsible in your company to review and sign; questions your facts don’t cover stay blank and are marked.

Updated October 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice: check the current rules and your customer's own requirements.

Food contact declaration of conformity (DoC)

What it must contain (plastics)

The tests behind it

How Kelpfox helps

Questions

Fill your customer's form from your facts