Date: Oct 13 2025 from: StarColor Ink Views:
For food packaging printers, “export compliance” is a critical issue — especially when targeting the U.S. and European markets.
No matter how excellent the print quality, if the ink fails to meet strict food-contact safety standards, issues like migration exceeding limits or unauthorized components can cause shipments to be rejected.
Recently, Zhongzhixing’s food-grade water-based ink officially passed U.S. FDA 21 CFR 175.300 certification, making it one of the few Chinese water-based inks that meet both GB 4806.10-2022 and FDA standards.
It provides exporters with a solution that is safe, compliant, stable in performance, and cost-efficient.
The U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is recognized as one of the world’s most stringent food safety regulators.
Its 21 CFR 175.300 standard imposes extremely strict limits on printing inks used for food-contact materials — requiring total specific migration (including heavy metals and residual monomers) to be ≤ 0.02 mg/kg, and passing multiple simulated migration tests under acidic (4% acetic acid), oily (isooctane), and aqueous (distilled water) environments. Even odor and sensory properties are regulated.
Many Chinese exporters have learned painful lessons due to a lack of certification:
A juice packaging plant once had 200,000 PET labels detained by U.S. customs for exceeding the migration limit by 0.01 mg/kg, resulting in a loss of over USD 170,000.
A biscuit box printer lost a long-term North American retail client because its ink contained an unapproved additive.
Obtaining FDA certification is therefore equivalent to acquiring an export passport, allowing direct access to international retail chains, avoiding repeated testing, and reducing compliance risks.
Zhongzhixing achieved FDA approval after 18 months of R&D, focusing on three key areas — raw materials, formulation, and production control.
Unlike traditional inks that rely on post-production testing, Zhongzhixing ensures safety from the source.
All ingredients are FDA-compliant:
Resins: FDA-approved acrylic–polyurethane hybrid resin.
Pigments: Organic, heavy-metal-free types.
Additives: Food-grade defoamers and coalescing agents only.
To ensure consistency, Zhongzhixing established an exclusive supply chain with top domestic resin producers. Each batch includes an FDA compliance certificate and passes triple inspection — testing for heavy metals, residual solvents, and sensory characteristics — eliminating safety risks from the source.
Many believe compliant inks compromise performance — Zhongzhixing proved otherwise.
Through resin blending and additive enhancement, StarColor achieves both compliance and high printability.
Enhanced Adhesion: Silane coupling agents boost adhesion to non-absorbent substrates such as BOPP and PET, reaching 5B grade, solving “weak adhesion” problems common in water-based inks.
Improved Durability: Modified epoxy monomers provide a temperature range of −15 °C to 85 °C, suitable for frozen food and hot-fill beverage packaging. Immersion in 85 °C water for 30 seconds shows no foaming or discoloration.
Faster Drying: Quick-dry additives ensure full drying within 2 seconds at 40 °C hot air, enabling printing speeds up to 250 m/min, comparable to solvent-based inks.
To meet FDA manufacturing requirements, Zhongzhixing invested over USD 280,000 to upgrade its facility with a cleanroom filling system.
The entire process is enclosed, and each batch is traceable with three retained samples for long-term monitoring — ensuring that every drum of ink is compliant and consistent.
After passing FDA certification, StarColor food-grade water-based inks have been adopted by multiple export-oriented food packaging enterprises, proving that “compliance and performance” can coexist.
A Guangdong-based juice packaging company previously had less than 10% of its business in North America due to ink non-compliance.
After adopting StarColor ink in early 2024:
Compliance Breakthrough: Successfully passed U.S. customs inspection, with migration only 0.003 mg/kg (far below the FDA 0.02 mg/kg limit). Eliminated the need for third-party testing, saving around USD 1,100 per batch.
Performance Upgrade: PET labels stored at −5 °C for 3 months showed no cracking; hot-fill (80 °C) packaging showed no fading. Customer complaints dropped from 15% to 0.5%.
Business Growth: Entered the supply chain of a major North American juice brand; export orders rose from 10% to 35%, with monthly revenue up by USD 114,000.
A Zhejiang-based carton printer previously failed three EU customer audits due to unapproved ink components. After switching to StarColor FDA-certified ink:
Testing Efficiency: Providing the ink’s FDA report eliminated extra customer testing; sample approval time dropped from 15 days to 3 days.
Cost Optimization: Although ink price was 12% higher, removing rework and rectification costs saved around USD 51,000 per year.
Market Expansion: With FDA documentation, the company entered major UK and German retail chains, increasing export revenue by about USD 285,000 annually.
To help more food packaging manufacturers seize export opportunities, Zhongzhixing now offers an “FDA Export Compliance Support Program”:
Free Certification Support: Access StarColor’s FDA testing report to assist with customer audits and customs checks.
Customized Ink Solutions: Tailored formulations for target markets (e.g., EU versions compliant with EU 10/2011).
Trial Program: New clients can apply for a free 5 kg trial pack with full technical support to ensure print results meet requirements.
In today’s competitive packaging export market, compliance is no longer a bonus — it’s a ticket to entry.
StarColor’s FDA-certified water-based inks not only prove product safety but also safeguard your export business — freeing companies from repeated testing, costly rework, and compliance risks, while focusing on print quality and global expansion.
Currently, StarColor food-grade water-based inks serve over 500 export-oriented enterprises, covering juice, biscuits, dairy, and frozen food packaging.
Choose StarColor — for safety, stability, and smooth access to global markets.