Are your labels food safe and dishwasher safe?
| Indirect food contact | Yes, outer packaging surfaces |
|---|---|
| Direct food contact | Not recommended |
| Dishwasher | Top rack, after 24 h cure |
| Freezer | Yes, to -40 F |
| Oven / microwave | No |
What indirect contact means
The label goes on the outside of the container. The food never touches the printed surface or the adhesive. That covers essentially all product labeling: candle jars, hot sauce bottles, coffee bags, honey jars, bakery boxes, meal-prep containers and tumblers.
Dishwasher and freezer
Fully cured laminated vinyl handles domestic dishwasher cycles on the top rack. Commercial dishwashers running above 180 F with aggressive caustics will eventually lift any label edge, so for foodservice we recommend an oversize laminate margin or an in-mold alternative.
Freezer performance is excellent down to about -40 F, but the label must be applied to a dry, room-temperature container. Applying to a frozen or condensating surface is the number one cause of labels falling off in the freezer.
Regulatory note
If your product requires FDA-compliant direct-contact materials, or you are labeling regulated goods such as cannabis or alcohol, tell us before ordering. We will confirm the right stock and can print required compliance panels, warning symbols and batch or lot variable data.
Applying to curved bottles
For anything under about 2 inches in diameter, keep the label height modest and consider a slight vertical curve in the design. Very tall labels on very narrow bottles will always want to tent at the edges.