---
title: "Not for food contact — what it means"
description: "This material must not be used with food. What the symbol looks like, what happens if you ignore it, and where its meaning differs by country."
url: https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-not-food-safe/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Not for food contact

**Not for food contact: This material must not be used with food.**

## What it looks like

The wine glass and fork with a cross through them.

## What it means

It turns up on decorative ceramics, storage crates, cheap coloured plastics and recycled-content items where the source material cannot be traced. The usual reasons are heavy metals in a glaze, dyes and pigments not cleared for food contact, or a recycled polymer of unknown history. Painted and glazed pottery bought as a souvenir is a real case rather than a theoretical one: lead and cadmium can leach from a decorative glaze into acidic food and drink.

> Defined by Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. Where a symbol differs between standards, the difference is described above rather than resolved — both versions are in circulation on real labels.

## Other food and food contact symbols

| Symbol | Means |
| --- | --- |
| Food safe (glass and fork) | The article is intended to come into contact with food. |
| One star freezer compartment | Reaches −6 °C. Store already-frozen food for about a week. |
| Two star freezer compartment | Reaches −12 °C. Store already-frozen food for about a month. |
| Three star freezer compartment | Reaches −18 °C. Store already-frozen food up to the date on the packaging. |
| Four star freezer — freezes fresh food | Reaches −18 °C or colder and can freeze fresh food from room temperature. |
| Vegetarian mark (India) | In India, the product contains no animal-derived ingredient. |
| Non-vegetarian mark (India) | In India, the product contains an animal-derived ingredient, including egg. |

## Common questions

### What does the not for food contact symbol mean?

This material must not be used with food.

### What does it look like?

The wine glass and fork with a cross through them.

## Related pages

- [Food safe (glass and fork)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-glass-and-fork/)
- [Plastic 3 — PVC or V (polyvinyl chloride)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/plastic-3-pvc/)
- [Food safe (glass and fork)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-glass-and-fork/)
- [One star freezer compartment](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-freezer-star-1/)
- [Two star freezer compartment](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-freezer-star-2/)
- [Three star freezer compartment](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-freezer-star-3/)
- [Four star freezer — freezes fresh food](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-freezer-star-4/)
- [Vegetarian mark (India)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-veg-india/)
- [Non-vegetarian mark (India)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/food-nonveg-india/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)