Food Grade Paper Bags for Food Packaging

“Food grade” is not a grade. There is no single certificate a paper either has or does not have. What exists is a federal regulation covering which substances may be present in the food-contact surface, and a set of coating decisions that determine whether the sheet survives your particular food. A supplier who answers “yes, it is food grade” without naming either has told you nothing.

This guide covers which paper stocks are cleared for direct contact, how a coating changes both performance and compliance, and the documentation worth having on file before an order ships.

What “Food Grade” Actually Refers To

For paper and paperboard in contact with aqueous and fatty foods, the governing federal regulation is 21 CFR 176.170. It sets out which substances may safely be used in the food-contact surface and ties compliance to extractives limits organised by food type and by condition of use.

Two words in that sentence carry the weight. Food type and condition of use are part of the regulation, not context around it. A stock cleared for a dry pastry at ambient temperature is not automatically cleared for a hot, oily item sitting in a closed bag for forty minutes. When you request documentation, state the temperature and contact time your product actually involves, or the answer you get back will not cover your case.

Which Paper Stocks Are Used, and What Each One Handles

Table 1. Paper stocks used for direct food contact, and the conditions each one survives.

Stock	Typical use	Holds up against	Where it gives out
Kraft (unbleached)	Carry-out bags, sandwich bags, liners	Dry and lightly greasy items; strong for its weight	Free liquid; sustained grease marks through
Bleached white paper	Bakery bags, wraps where print matters	Print quality and shelf appeal	Same grease limit as kraft at equal weight
Greaseproof (densified)	Fried food liners, burger wraps	Grease, without an added coating layer	Tops out below what fried food in a closed box demands
Coated with non-fluorinated barrier	Higher-resistance wraps and liners	Grease while satisfying state PFAS rules	Softens under sustained heat more readily than the fluorochemical treatment it replaced
Poly or PE laminated	Wet or high-fat items needing a hard barrier	Near-absolute grease and moisture barrier	Rules out compostability and complicates recycling
Glassine	Interleaving, bakery liners	Smooth release, moderate grease	Low structural strength

Paper weight and coating do different jobs, and buyers routinely conflate them. Weight decides how much the sheet can carry before tearing. Coating decides whether grease and moisture pass through it. A heavier uncoated sheet still marks through under fries; a lighter coated one does not. Our guide to greaseproof paper and coating types covers how grease resistance is actually measured, on the kit-test scale rather than by adjective.

Where the Grease Question Gets Decided

Grease resistance is one of the few packaging properties with a real number behind it. It is measured on the kit-test scale, where the surface is exposed to a series of numbered solutions and the most aggressive one it holds without staining becomes the rating. Ask for that number rather than the word greaseproof, and state the temperature alongside it, because the test says nothing about heat. A sheet with a strong rating can still fail if the coating itself softens at fryer temperatures.

Closed containers are the harder case. Trapped steam works with the oil to attack the sheet from both sides, so a liner that holds in an open basket can still mark through the base of a delivery box.

PFAS: the Compliance Question That Changed the Market

High grease resistance in paper was conventionally achieved with fluorochemical treatment. Several states now restrict intentionally added PFAS in paper and plant-fibre food packaging, which is why the coating options available today look different from those of a few years ago.

Washington’s phased restriction under RCW 70A.222.070 covered wraps, plates, food boats and pizza boxes from 1 February 2023, then bags, sleeves, bowls, flat serviceware, open-top containers and closed containers from 1 May 2024. Manufacturers must keep a certificate of compliance on file during use and for three years after final distribution. Scopes and dates differ between states, so a single certificate does not automatically cover national distribution.

If the sheet also carries a compostability claim, a second limit applies. The Biodegradable Products Institute caps total organic fluorine at 100 ppm in anything it certifies, demonstrated by an approved lab result, effective since 1 January 2020.

Bags, Wraps and Liners Are Different Purchases

The same stock behaves differently depending on the format it becomes.

Table 2. What to specify, by format.

Format	What decides performance	Ask the supplier for
Carry-out bag	Paper weight and handle construction carry the load; coating handles grease	Basis weight, handle type, and load rating
Sandwich or burger wrap	Coating and temperature rating; weight matters less	Kit rating plus the temperature and contact time it was rated at
Basket or tray liner	Direct hot-oil contact, short duration	Kit rating; confirm the coating tolerates fryer temperatures
Bakery bag	Airflow against freshness; window film if used	Whether the bag is perforated, coated, or sealed, and which suits your product

For the bag side of that table, custom takeout bags covers handle types and what paper weight actually predicts about load. For bakery formats, custom bakery bags covers window types and the airflow trade-off.

What to Put in the Purchase Order

Four items prevent most disputes. The stock and basis weight. The grease-resistance rating together with the temperature and contact time it must survive. The coating route, or the end-of-life outcome you need if compostability or recycling is part of the plan. And the compliance documentation you expect on file, meaning the food-contact paperwork covering your food type and condition of use, plus a PFAS certificate for every state you ship into.

That last item is the one buyers most often skip and most often need later. Ask for it before artwork approval rather than after a shipment has been questioned.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a certificate that makes paper “food grade”?

Not a single one. Compliance for paper touching aqueous and fatty foods runs through 21 CFR 176.170, which sets extractives limits by food type and condition of use. Ask for documentation naming your specific combination rather than a general assurance.

Does a heavier paper resist grease better?

No. Weight predicts how much the sheet can carry before tearing; coating decides whether grease passes through. A heavier uncoated sheet will still mark through under fried food, while a lighter coated one holds.

Can food grade paper be both grease resistant and compostable?

Yes, through a non-fluorinated barrier coating or a densified fibre base, though performance varies by formulation and the highest resistance levels are harder to reach without added chemistry. If the sheet carries a compostability certification it must also satisfy that scheme’s fluorine limit.

Do I need PFAS documentation for paper bags?

If you ship into a state with a restriction on fibre-based food packaging, yes. Washington requires manufacturers to hold a certificate of compliance during use and for three years afterwards. Request documentation covering each state you distribute in, since scopes and dates differ.

Is printed paper still food safe?

It depends where the ink sits. On most wraps the print is on the food-contact side, which makes ink selection a food-safety question rather than only a design one. Ask for inks rated for direct contact under your conditions, and request a printed sample on the actual coated substrate.

Where This Leaves a Buyer

Food grade paper is a specification rather than a label. Name the stock and weight, name the grease rating with the temperature it applies at, choose the coating by the end-of-life outcome you need, and hold the compliance file for the states you ship into. A supplier who can produce those four things is describing a product. One who answers with the phrase “food grade” alone has not started.

Reviewed by the Fusenpack packaging engineering team, September 2026. Regulations and standard revisions change; the rules cited here were checked against their issuing bodies on 9 September 2026. Confirm current requirements for your own ship-to states before ordering.