Importing Ceramics into the EU and US: Food-Safety Compliance Explained
What FDA and EU 84/500/EEC actually require for lead and cadmium in glazed tableware — and how to make sure your supplier's paperwork survives customs.
Glazed ceramics that touch food are regulated merchandise in both the EU and US — and customs authorities do test. Understanding the two rulebooks before you order is much cheaper than learning them after a container is held.
In the United States, glazed dinnerware falls under FDA oversight, which sets limits on how much lead and cadmium may migrate from the glaze into food. The compliance mechanism is the test itself: an accredited lab simulates acidic food contact and measures metal migration. Practical takeaway: require a test report per production lot, not a factory-wide certificate from three years ago.
In the European Union, Directive 84/500/EEC (as amended) sets migration limits for lead and cadmium across three ceramic categories — flatware, small hollowware and large hollowware — because a plate and a coffee mug present different surface-to-volume ratios. The category determines which limit applies, so a set mixing plates and cups needs testing against multiple limits.
Beyond testing, keep three documents in every shipment file: the test report referencing your production lot, the commercial invoice describing items accurately, and the certificate of origin. Freight forwarders can catch many issues, but they cannot retroactively create a lab report.
At Domora, food-safety testing to both FDA and EU standards is part of our standard export process for every glazed item — the reports ship with your documents. Compliance isn't a competitive advantage in this trade; it's the floor. The advantage is never having to think about it.
