United States · Mandatory
FDA food-contact substances (21 CFR)
US law on what may touch food — the Food and Drug Administration's framework for food-contact substances, covering bottles, cups and tableware.
In the United States, what a bottle, cup, plate or utensil is made of is regulated as food-contact. The Food and Drug Administration governs food-contact substances under 21 CFR — the requirement that a material in contact with food be of a kind suitable for that contact, with restrictions on substances that can migrate into food. This matters for baby feeding gear exactly where toy rules leave off: silicone nipples, PPSU bottles, and plastic or melamine tableware are food-contact items before they are anything else.
What it does not mean
FDA compliance is a legal floor, not a safety award. "FDA food-grade" is used loosely in marketing and does not mean the agency endorsed that product; it means the material is of an approved type. It also does not cover every hazard — a cup can be food-contact approved and still be a choking risk, which falls under the CPSC, not the FDA.
Read it yourself: the standard as published ↗
Brands citing this standard
No brand in the directory cites this standard yet. That means we haven't found and sourced one — not that none exists.