Kelpi's seaweed-based coating achieves US FDA food contact approval for packaging

Kelpi, the UK materials innovation company developing seaweed-based biomaterial coatings as an alternative to fossil-based plastics, today announced that its coating has cleared the US Food and Drug Administration’s food contact notification process.

The approval allows Kelpi’s coating to be used on paper and board food packaging sold in the United States, in contact with all food types at or below room temperature, including foods that are frozen or refrigerated. It also validates Kelpi’s coating as suitable to package personal care and cosmetics products, opening access to one of the world’s largest packaging markets and removing a key regulatory barrier to commercial adoption.

“This is a defining milestone for Kelpi. Clearing the FDA’s food contact notification process is independent validation of both the safety and the performance of our seaweed-based technology, and it gives our commercial partners the confidence and approval required to now launch Kelpi’s biomaterial coatings in the US market,” said Hugo Adams, CEO of Kelpi.

The US clearance follows an earlier ‘Letter of No Objection’ from the Canadian Bureau of Chemical Safety, building Kelpi’s international regulatory track record and accessible markets.