Here's How to Identify Food-Safe Fabric

Generally speaking, a food-safe fabric means that the fabric is safe if it comes in contact with food and that the food can still be eaten. There aren’t any harmful chemicals or toxic finishes in the fabric that could rub off on your food to make you sick. 

Choosing food-safe fabrics will put you at ease, especially if you’re feeding your little ones. No one wants to have a sick baby! 

The question is, how can you know that a piece of fabric is food safe? Is there a label you should look for? An ingredients section you should read before adding fabric to your cart?

As it turns out, there are specific ways to know whether a fabric is food-safe, and that’s what today’s blog covers. We’ll explain exactly what it means for a fabric to be food-safe and how to ensure that any fabric that comes in contact with food is safe. 

Keep reading to learn more!

FDA Guidelines

Did you know that the FDA has provided specific guidelines on food-safe fabric? That’s right. Three factors determine whether a material is food-safe. 

First, the fabric’s material or fiber content must be food-safe. Second, any additives in the fabric must be safe for food. These additives are usually added to the fabric during the manufacturing process. Examples include oils, dyes, and softeners. 

Finally, there are specific tests that the fabric must pass.

If one or two but not all three factors apply to the fabric, it is not food-safe. That doesn’t mean it’s unusable and needs to be discarded! It just means you could get sick if that fabric comes in contact with your food. 

We do not recommend using a piece of fabric for food-safe applications if it’s not certified to be safe for use, especially in light of recent reports that dangerous chemicals were found in food wrappers at many major fast-food restaurants and grocery chains.

Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations

We mentioned “certain tests” that the fabric must pass before it can be officially declared food-safe. Those rules are found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This code was/is written by various government agencies to ensure that anything manufactured meets federal regulations.

CFR Title 21 provides specific guidelines for food-safe fabric that all manufacturers must follow. AKAS Tex, the manufacturer of Wazoodle Fabrics, carefully follows all Title 21 regulations for all fabrics that are labeled food-safe. 

Let’s look at some of those guidelines.

CFR Guidelines for Food-Safe Fabrics

Next on the list is waterproof fabric. Any coating or lamination that makes the fabric waterproof also needs to be food-safe. After all, it is on the fabric and will come in contact with food (if that’s what it’s used for). 

The coating or lamination must either be listed in CFR 21 or considered Generally Accepted As Safe. The fabric must be tested at the temperature and in the conditions in which it will be stored. 

Finally, the fabric must be tested with the exact food it will store in the same container at the same temperature. It must be tested more than once if it will be for repeated-use food storage. 

If the fabric meets all of those guidelines, it is safe to be used as a food-safe fabric. 

How Can I Know The Fabric Is Food Safe?

Understanding the rules for food-safe fabric is sure to prompt more questions. The number one thought on your mind is probably how you can ensure the material is food-safe. After all, if you’re switching to reusable bags or sewing bibs or burb cloths for your baby, you’ll want to ensure that you’re keeping everyone safe. 

Any brand or manufacturer that advertises food-safe fabrics should provide the criteria they met to make that claim. For example, they should be able to tell you which sections of CFR 21 they complied with, along with where the fabric is manufactured and what foods it has been tested with.  

Food-Safe Fabrics For You

Did you know that Wazoodle Fabrics has an entire range of FoodSAFE fabrics? We offer multiple materials, including bamboo, organic cotton, and vinyl. We even have waterproof options. Our food-safe fabrics are certified under Part 175 of CFR 21 for repeated food storage at any temperature.

Do you want a waterproof PUL fabric in which you can store your soup? Try our ProSoft FoodSAFE Waterproof PUL fabric. Need a heavy-duty version? We’ve got that. We have bamboo loop terry, cotton interlock, cotton sherpa, and organic cotton fleece options, all available in Food Safe styles

Are you looking to increase your eco-friendly efforts? Try our recycled fabrics. We work with Unifi’s Repreve to make fabrics out of 100% recycled materials for our brand, ReInspire. 

Every yard of the fabric you buy is made of recycled plastic bottles that Repreve turned into recycled chips. Repreve then took those chips and turned them into the fibers making up your fabric.

Get Your Food-Safe Fabric from Wazoodle Fabrics.

Wazoodle Fabrics is the perfect choice for food-safe fabric for your family. No matter what you need, we’ve got fabric for it. You can use our Fabric Finder to narrow down your search results and get started with 4x4 swatches to determine which material is suitable for what you need.

And, if you have questions along the way, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’ll be happy to help you find the perfect food-safe fabric.