Any packaging that touches food sold in Cyprus — boxes, trays, wraps, containers — must be safe for that purpose under EU rules, and the business serving the food is expected to be able to show it. In practice, that means having the right paperwork from your packaging supplier on file. This guide explains what each document is, in plain language, so you know what to ask for.
The framework in brief
The cornerstone of EU food-contact law is Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004: materials and articles intended to contact food must not transfer substances to it in quantities that could endanger health or unacceptably change the food. Specific materials have their own detailed measures — most notably plastics, covered by Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, which sets migration limits and testing rules. You don't need to memorise regulation numbers; you need a supplier whose documentation shows the rules have been met.
Declaration of Compliance (DoC)
The Declaration of Compliance is the headline document: a written statement from the manufacturer or supplier confirming that a specific product is suitable for its intended food-contact use under the applicable EU regulation. A proper DoC names the product, the material, the intended conditions of use (food types, temperatures, durations) and the legislation it complies with. If a supplier can't produce one for a plastic food-contact item, that's a red flag.
Migration test reports
Behind a credible DoC sit laboratory tests. Migration testing measures whether — and how much — substances transfer from the packaging material into food or food simulants under realistic conditions. Reports typically cover overall migration (total transfer) and, where relevant, specific migration of individual restricted substances. These reports are the evidence layer: the DoC states compliance, the test reports demonstrate it.
Specification sheets and factory documentation
Two further documents complete the file. A product specification sheet records the exact dimensions, materials, weights and tolerances of each line you buy — the reference point for every future order and quality check. Factory documentation (certifications and audit records for the manufacturing site) shows the product was made somewhere with proper production controls. In our process, production is also inspected against your approved specification before it ships.
Questions to ask any packaging supplier
- Can you provide a Declaration of Compliance for this product and my intended use?
- Are migration test reports available for the material?
- Will I receive a specification sheet for every line I order?
- What documentation exists for the factory that produces it?
A supplier with good answers will have this paperwork ready — it should never require chasing.
How we handle it
Documentation is built into how we buy, not added afterwards. Every manufacturing partner is reviewed before their products reach our customers, and orders are supplied with the documentation appropriate to the product and its intended use — DoC, migration reports, specification sheets and factory records. It's also one reason factory-direct pricing doesn't mean compromising on standards: the paperwork travels with the product. If you're unsure what your current packaging file should contain, ask us — reviewing it costs nothing.
This article is general information about EU food-contact documentation, not legal advice for your specific situation.