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Food Grade Vs. Feed Grade FIBC: Know the Difference

December 17, 2021 Food Grade FIBC Bags
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Food Grade Vs. Feed Grade FIBC: Know the Difference

Whether you’re out to purchase FIBC Bulk Bags to store food products or animal feed, you might have come across the terms ‘food grade FIBC’ and ‘feed grade FIBC’. They are often mistaken to be the same but actually they are different FIBC solutions meant for different purposes. In this article, we’ll talk about the differences between the two variants of FIBC Bulk Bags so it’s easy for you to choose your ideal FIBC type.

What Does Food Grade or Feed Grade Mean?

The respective meanings of food and feed-grade products distinguishes their scope of application. 

Food-grade refers to food products that are certified “safe for consumption by humans”. This may include items like rice, wheat, cereals and pulses, flour, salt and sugar, spices, etc. Food-grade FIBCs help to meet the need for hygienic storage or transportation of food products.

Feed-grade products refer to all the items intended for animal consumption. Feed-grade materials such as grain-based livestock feed or dry feed for pet animals are not certified safe for human consumption. Moreover, unlike food-grade products, these items do not require bags which are certified for human consumption.

Raw Materials

Regulation demands that food-grade FIBCs be made of 100% virgin polypropylene to ensure only a permissible range of contamination from the previous usage. Feed-grade FIBCs, on the other hand, do not have any such restrictions. 

Production Facilities

FIBCs to handle food-grade products have to be produced in hygienically maintained, sterilised facilities certified by regulating authorities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in the United Kingdom, or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in India. However, it is not mandatory for feed-grade bulk bags to carry such certifications.

Cost

Food-grade FIBCs cost more than feed-grade bulk bags because the former is manufactured in a certified ‘clean’ facility, while the latter does not require to meet such safety standards.

Choosing the Right FIBC

In order to comply with the local official health and safety regulations, it’s important to ensure that you select the right FIBC for your product. While a standard FIBC will be sufficient for feed-grade materials, a food-grade FIBC bags needs to be chosen with care. Therefore, consider the certification badges of your bulk bags supplier before placing the order. 

Hopefully, your confusion regarding the food-grade and feed-grade FIBCs is now sorted with these clear points of distinction. For further information or help regarding choosing the right FIBC type for your product, please contact Bulk Corp International

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