In the Food & Beverage sector, food safety is not optional: it is a regulatory requirement and a daily commitment. For this reason, BBM has implemented a management system for Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with Food (MOCA), fully compliant with European regulations, ensuring its customers—bottlers and companies in the sector—safe, traceable, and regulation-compliant materials.
What the MOCA declaration is and what it is used for
The MOCA declaration (Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with Food) is a technical-legal document certifying that a material or component is suitable for food contact (European Regulation 1935/2004). It specifies:
• The chemical composition of the material.
• The production and processing methods used.
• The recommended conditions of use and storage.
• Any restrictions or specific substance migration limits.
In practice, the MOCA declaration ensures that the material does not release substances that could alter the organoleptic properties or the safety of food.
Learn more on the Italian Ministry of Health portal: Materials in contact with food – MOCA
Why MOCA management is crucial in Food & Beverage
MOCA materials cannot be treated as standard industrial components. Every stage of their management requires:
• Rigorous sanitization: all materials are cleaned and sanitized following specific protocols based on the type of material (plastic, rubber, metal) and the intended contact with the food product. Operations include thorough weekly cleaning and additional interventions whenever the material is handled or installed on machinery.
• Full traceability: each batch of MOCA material is identified and recorded, making it possible to quickly trace any critical issues and contain problems without widespread impact.
• Detailed physical identification: each component is labeled and linked to the specific machine or production line, facilitating inspection, maintenance, and replacement.
How BBM ensures MOCA compliance
BBM has established a dedicated role for MOCA management, responsible for:
• Verifying that all materials meet the criteria for suitability for food contact;
• Archiving suppliers’ declarations, mandatory for every purchased MOCA material, creating a complete and constantly updated register.
• Supervising sanitization and material identification procedures throughout the entire production chain.
In the case of tanks, fillers, and dispensing systems, MOCA management is critical: saturators, nozzle gaskets, straws, and premix systems are equipment that require strict control because they come into direct contact with the final product. With our system, each component can be identified at every stage, enabling targeted and rapid interventions when needed.
Learn more about the Quality Department of BBM Packaging
Concrete benefits for the customer
With BBM, customers are assured that all materials in contact with food are safe and compliant with European regulations. Every component is traceable and identifiable, so in case of need it is possible to quickly trace the batch and take targeted action. Dedicated cleaning and sanitization procedures minimize the risk of contamination, while the management of suppliers’ MOCA declarations ensures complete and always-available documentation. In practice, customers gain reliability, safety, and peace of mind, allowing them to focus on production knowing that every material is certified and under control.
BBM does not just supply materials: it delivers scientifically validated safety, total traceability, and regulatory compliance, turning every MOCA component into a concrete guarantee for customers and end consumers.
