Health Canada has revised its industry guide to the Glazed Ceramics and Glassware Regulations (GCGR). The detailed guide provides illustrative examples of products that fall under the GCGR and design features or permanent warnings for products that are for ornamental use only.
In February 2021, Health Canada published its latest industry guide for food contact glazed ceramic and glassware products that are subject to the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and the Glazed Ceramics and Glassware Regulations (GCGR, SOR/2016-175).
The guide provides, inter alia, several important pieces of information to assist stakeholders with meeting the requirements. It:
- Emphasizes that undecorated glass foodware products are not within the scope of the GCGR.
- Provides 10 illustrative examples of products that fall under the scope of the GCGR.
- Summarizes the migration limits for lead and cadmium for different types of product
- Details the design features or permanent warnings (in both official languages – English and French) for glazed ceramic and glassware products that are intended for ornamental use only and are unsuitable for storing, preparing or serving food. Such products are not required to comply with the migratable lead and cadmium limits of the GCGR.
- Indicates the type of permanent warning that may be used for ornamental glazed ceramic and glassware products – this may be one that is engraved, stamped or printed directly on the product.
- Provides an illustrative example of a permanent warning for ornamental glazed ceramic and glassware products.
Highlights of the migration limits for lead and cadmium for the different types of glazed ceramic and glassware product are summarized in Table 1.
| Industry Guide to the Glazed Ceramics and Glassware Regulations February 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Product Type* | Migratable lead (mg/L) | Migratable cadmium (mg/L) |
| 1 | Flatware | 3.0 | 0.50 |
| 2 | Small hollowware, other than cups or mugs (< 1.1L) | 2.0 | 0.50 |
| 3 | Large hollowware, other than pitchers (≥ 1.1L) | 1.0 | 0.25 |
| 4 | Cups or mugs | 0.5 | 0.50 |
| 5 | Pitchers2 | 0.5 | 0.25 |
| 1 ≤ 4 mg/L lead and ≤ 0.4 mg/L cadmium for drinking vessels with a distinctive exterior decoration, coating or glazing within 20 mm of the lip and rim 2 Does not include creamers, coffeepots or teapots | |||
SGS technical experts have extensive knowledge and testing experience in materials and articles in contact with food. They work to ensure that your products meet the appropriate regulations for food contact materials, paving the way for compliance. From overall migration tests to expert advice on emerging regulations, compliance issues and documentation review, SGS is the partner to trust. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Discover more on ourwebsite and read our brochure.
For enquiries, please contact:
Hingwo Tsang
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