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Standards Development
This document establishes a methodology framework for testing metal-made articles in contact with foodstuffs for use in domestic microwave applicators. An experimental method aiming at qualifying this class of articles is proposed. The objectives of the method are two-folds: ensuring a correct eating efficiency considering a standard microwave heating cycle and guarantying the user safety notably regarding the risk of electrical discharge.
The current trend is a reduction of plastic food items (packaging, kitchenware…) constrained by local or EU Regulations (EU PPWR, France 3R…). Metal-made solutions using carbon steel; stainless steel or aluminum alloys constitute alternatives of high interest for food container applications. Indeed, these materials display attractive properties owing to their robustness allowing long lifetime and high reuse rates and because of their wide accessibility to recycling.
Although metal containers are extensively used for years, the use of metal-made packaging in domestic microwave applicators immediately raises the question of safe oven operations. Previous scientific work [1] demonstrated that the use of metal containers for reheating with a microwave oven is efficient and safe as long as some basic guidelines are obeyed to guarantee a good heating efficiency as well as preventing from possible misuses.
Recently, different actors are being introducing metal-made packaging or containers on the market, for single use or re-usable, claiming their compatibility for safe microwave oven application. Besides, these metal solutions often constitute interesting alternatives that meet the expectations of full recyclability and are relevant for long-term sustainability.
The suitability claims for safe microwave reheating/heating is often worked out by in-house trials most often refereeing to existing standards on glass-ceramic-plastic and whose relevance can be questionable as they explicitly exclude metal made food containers from their testing protocols.
Hence, all stakeholders (raw material suppliers, manufacturers, brands) are expecting a standard to guide the development of this new uses; ideally this must be discussed with the microwave oven manufacturers. AFNOR published early 2023 the French Standard NF D 21- 314 (Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs — Evaluation of the suitability of metal and alloy articles in contact with foodstuffs during microwave heating).
As the market development is spreading across Europe, an extension for an European Standard is proposed. The aim of the project is to develop a general testing protocol that would fill the hole let by the standard EN 15284 and to adapt it to the requirements and specificities of metal made food containers, in particular:
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