The Role of Food Grade Containers in Preventing Contamination
Food safety is not only a business concern but essential to public health and brand integrity. Food passing through the supply chain is stored and shipped in cold storage containers, food grade bins, and lined hoppers to prevent contamination during transport and storage. Is your business using the best bulk containers for food storage, handling, and transport?
The Importance of Containers for Food Safety
Not all plastic containers are created with food safety in mind. One of the challenges facing the foodservice industry is low-quality packaging and food-handling equipment that can foster bacterial growth, leach chemicals, or allow food to become contaminated during storage or transport.
For both hot and cold storage foods that are intended for human consumption, a safe food container must be:
- Made of non-toxic materials
- Appropriately enclosed to prevent outside contamination
- Resistant to temperature extremes from hot to freezing
- Easy to clean and disinfect for multiple uses
- Durable and able to withstand stacking, sliding, and lifting
What Are Food Grade Plastics?
The FDA has approved specific types of plastic that are considered food-grade and are suitable for cold food storage, dry food storage, hot food handling, and fresh food transportation. To be FDA approved, food grade containers can be made from one of these types of plastic:
- High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Polypropylene
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
What Is the Difference Between Food Grade and “Food Safe?”
Food grade is an industry standard that means a container, tool, or piece of processing equipment is considered safe for food production under a wide variety of conditions and applications.
Food safe is a term that applies to materials safe for food production only when they are used as intended. For example, a container might only be approved for cold liquids and be considered food safe, but if used for hot liquids they would be considered contaminated.
HDPE food grade containers resist corrosion, won’t leach chemicals into food products, and absorb little or no moisture. Food-safe packaging is primarily used for single-use containers, while HDPE food grade containers are designed to be used over and over in restaurants, grocery stores, and food processing facilities.
The Benefits of Reusable Food Grade Containers
When it comes to handling fresh foods or choosing reliable cold storage containers that meet FDA guidelines for your food products, there are many benefits to investing in HDPE containers. Just some of the reasons to replace aging or low-grade containers include:
- Reducing food waste due to contamination
- Complying with food safety standards
- Protecting community health and your brand reputation
- Improving employee efficiency with purpose-built bins and containers
- Long usable lifespan that lowers costs over time
- Greener option than disposable materials, with full recycling at end of life
Endural Is Committed to Industry Food Safety
Since 1960, Endural has been producing HDPE food-handling containers and cold storage equipment for the food service industry. From small dockside fish markets to large food processing plants, our reusable and recyclable containers provide superior food safety and durability for businesses like yours.
Endural containers come in standard sizes and can be custom built to your exact specifications or needs. Our vacuum forming process creates heavy-duty containers to resist physical stresses, temperature extremes, and corrosive spills. The final product will provide superior protection against food contamination for 10 years or more and remains 100% recyclable for your sustainability goals.
We offer purpose-built food-handling equipment for restaurants, grocery stores, and food production, including:
- Stackable tote boxes
- Cold storage containers
- Plastic material bins
- Cutlery trays and drawer liners
- Bread drawers
- Dish containers
- Reusable food storage cases
- Nestable plastic tote boxes
Features Designed to Prevent Food Contamination
What makes Endural’s line of food grade containers the best choice? Consider these features specific to food handling that can promote food safety and boost your bottom line:
- A sealed and secure design to eliminate external contamination during storage or shipment
- HDPE plastic, which helps prevent bacterial growth and eliminates chemical seepage from the container itself
- Custom designs and sturdy construction built to hold up to years of commercial use in the food service industry
Working with Endural to Enhance Food Safety
Maintaining the trust and protecting the health of your customers is your first priority in a food service business. By following the required hygienic practices and procedures that maintain and monitor safe food temperatures, your team can provide the highest quality, freshest foods with confidence in your safe-handling process. Endural food grade containers are essential tools in your battle against food waste and spoilage.
Browse our line of ready-made designs for food service, including the sturdy reusable cold storage containers and bins for holding ingredients during food preparation. If the container you need isn’t already in our lineup, contact us for an affordable quote on custom products with the same quality guarantee as our standard lines. We also produce non-HDPE options, including ESD, ABS, and styrene, so contact us today for all your industry-specific requirements and innovative ideas.
