Azerbaijan Issues Rules for Food Contact Materials

SafeGuardSHardgoodsAug 07, 2025

SG 116/25

Azerbaijan has published standards and rules for food contact materials (FCM) and articles.

In June 2025, Azerbaijan’s Food Safety Agency (AFSA, Azərbaycan Respublikasının Qida Təhlükəsizliyi Agentliyi) issued Decision of the Board No. 56 of May 20, 2025, on approval of the ‘Sanitary Standards and Rules for Materials and Articles in Contact with Food’ (Decision No. 56/2025) to regulate FCM and articles.

The rules in the new law are based on three pieces of European legislation, with the aim of implementing Article 23.3 of the nation’s ‘Law on Food Safety’ in relation to FCM and articles:

Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 on ‘FCM and articles’ (consolidated version to March 2021)
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1895/2005 on ‘Certain epoxy derivatives’
Commission Directive 93/11/EEC on ‘N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances from elastomer or rubber teats and soothers’

In addition to general and labeling requirements, this decision details specific requirements for active and intelligent materials and articles, paper and board, metals and alloys, glass and certain epoxy derivatives.

Highlights of key provisions in Decision No. 56/2025 are summarized in Table 1.

Section to Decision No 56/2025	Highlight
1 ‘General provisions’	Details the scope of FCM Exempts coating materials on cheese rinds, prepared meat or fruits, which form part of food as these may be consumed together
2 ‘Basic concepts’	Defines the terms 1) active materials and articles, 2) intelligent materials and articles, 3) food simulant and 4) specific migration limit (SML)
5 ‘Specific requirements for paper-based materials and articles’	Prohibits the transfer of colorants to food Prohibits printed, written and recycled paper from coming into contact with food; however, recycled paper products may be used as egg, fruit or vegetable carton boxes if they meet the chemical safety requirements in Table 2 (see below) Paper-based materials and articles must comply with the requirements in Table 2 below
6 ‘Specific requirements for metal-based materials and articles’	These materials and articles must be coated with tin, chromium, enamel, ceramic-based materials, varnish, plastic or another suitable FCM, unless they are stainless steel Permits the use of cast iron without a coating, provided it meets general safety requirements and any instructions for its safe use Defines requirements for aluminum and alloys: ≤ 5 mg/kg aluminum migration Labeling for uncoated aluminum and alloys for certain foods and applications ≤ 99% aluminum content for foils, tubes and disposable containers, except aluminum alloys Instructs lacquers and plastic-based coatings to comply with food contact plastic requirements Defines specifications for surface coating of metal-based products: ≥ 2.3 g/m² tin ≥ 50 mg/cm² chromium ≥ 7 mg/cm² chromium oxide Defines restrictions for metal coating materials: ≤ 0.05% antimony ≤ 0.001% cadmium ≤ 0.03% arsenic ≤ 0.05% lead Mandates labeling requirements for zinc and zinc-coated materials and articles for certain food types
7 ‘Specific requirements for glass materials and articles’	Defines specifications, including but not limited to temperature resistance and internal pressure tolerance
8 ‘Requirements for labeling of materials and articles’	Requires FCM and articles which are not yet in contact with food to, among other things, be accompanied by a statement indicating that they are suitable for food contact, or their intended use (e.g., wine glass) or the ‘glass and fork’ symbol (Appendix 1) The above point is not mandatory for FCM and articles that are clearly intended to come into contact with food
9 ‘Restriction on materials and articles’	Prohibits BFDGE and NOGE in plastics, coatings and adhesives Restricts BADGE in plastics, coatings and adhesives with the following specifications ≤ 9 mg/kg sum of BADGE, BADGE.H₂O and BADGE.2H₂O or ≤ 9 mg/6 dm² in specific cases under the food contact plastics legislation ≤ 1 mg/kg sum of BADGE.HCl, BAGDE.2HCl and BADGE.H₂O.HCl or ≤ 1 mg/6 dm² in specific cases under the food contact plastics legislation

Table 1

Item	Substance	Maximum concentration permitted
1	Arsenic	2 mg/kg
2	Chloride	0.2% (as a percentage of the material or product)
3	Polychlorinated biphenyl	2 mg/kg
4	Formaldehyde	15 mg/kg
5	Lead	0.003 mg/dm²
6	Cadmium	0.002 mg/dm²
7	Mercury	0.002 mg/dm²
8	Pentachlorophenol	0.15 mg/kg

Table 2. Requirements for paper-based materials

The standards and rules in Decision No. 56/2025 will become effective on August 20, 2025.

Abbreviations

Item	Abbreviation	Chemical Name
1	BADGE	2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane bis(2,3-epoxypropyl) ether
2	BFDGE	Bis(hydroxyphenyl)methane bis(2,3-epoxypropyl) ethers
3	NOGE	Novolac glycidyl ethers

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