Food-contact wood finishes

This page sets out what the federal rules say about coatings and oils that touch food, and what finish makers themselves state about their products, in their own words. It makes no claim of its own that any finish is fit for food: for any particular product, the maker's label and data sheet are the place to look.

What 21 CFR 175.300 covers

21 CFR 175.300 is the FDA rule for resinous and polymeric coatings that form a food-contact surface. Besides coatings on metal, it covers a coating "intended for repeated food-contact use" applied to any suitable substrate as a continuous film that acts as a barrier between the food and what is underneath.

Paragraph (b)(3) lists the substances such a coating may be made from. Among the drying oils are linseed oil and "chinawood (tung)" oil; shellac is listed among the natural resins; paraffin and polyethylene waxes are listed too. Paragraph (c) then requires the finished coating to pass extraction tests with set limits. So an ingredient being on the list does not by itself make any finished product comply.

One source: US Food and Drug Administration, the regulation itself

Mineral oil

White mineral oil is covered by two other rules: 21 CFR 172.878 sets its specification and lists its uses as a food additive, and 21 CFR 178.3620(a) allows oil meeting that specification as a component of articles that contact food.

What makers state

• Howard Cutting Board Oil

  Howard Products: Meets all requirements for USP Light Mineral Oil, National Formulary (NF), FDA 21 CFR 172.878 and 21 CFR 178.3620 (a)

  One source: Howard Products, the maker of that product

• Behlen Salad Bowl Finish

  Mohawk Finishing Products (Behlen): This product contains FDA regulated ingredients complying with 21 CFR 175.300.

  Its own limit: not intended for cutting boards or cutting blocks.

  Wait before use, per the maker: 72 hours.

  One source: Mohawk Finishing Products (Behlen), the maker of that product

• Osmo Polyx-Oil

  Osmo states its dry finish resists saliva and perspiration under German standard DIN 53160 and meets EN 71-3, the European toy-safety standard. It names no FDA rule.

  One source: Osmo, the maker of that product

Note the difference between Behlen's two claims: its Salad Bowl Finish cites 21 CFR 175.300, yet the same sheet says it is not intended for cutting boards. Products for cutting boards are on the cutting board oil page. Shellac, listed in 175.300 as a resin, has its own page, and glue makers' own food-contact wording is on Titebond I vs II vs III.