Ecospeed coatings certified food-contact safe

Independent testing recently conducted has confirmed what we always suspected to be true: Ecospeed coatings comply with FDA 21 CFR 175.300 safety standards for coatings used on surfaces that contact food. This certification extends the coatings’ proven durability and corrosion protection into safe food-contact marine applications.

Independent verification

Compliance testing was performed by Measurlabs using an accredited test method in accordance with FDA 21 CFR 175.300. The coating met and in fact far exceeded the prescribed extractives requirements for both distilled water and heptane. (Test report available on request.)

What this means

Ecospeed is a non-toxic vinyl ester coating engineered to provide long-term corrosion protection in aggressive marine immersion service. Its exceptionally hard, smooth surface provides outstanding durability while eliminating the release of biocides associated with conventional antifouling coatings.

Because Ecospeed has now been tested and proven compliant with FDA 21 CFR 175.300, this means that these coatings are also suitable for consideration wherever a durable, chemically resistant food-contact coating is required, including:

• Interior surfaces of salmon well boats and other live fish transport vessels
• Aquaculture tanks and holding systems
• Fish processing and handling equipment
• Water-filled tanks associated with food production
• Similar industrial food-contact applications where compliance with FDA 21 CFR 175.300 is specified.

Ecospeed complies with FDA 21 CFR 175.300 and may therefore be used in water-contact applications where FDA food-contact compliance is required. Applications involving potable drinking water may additionally require NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 certification, depending on local regulations.

In fact we have recently experienced a high demand for this certification, particularly from the aquaculture industry where protection of well-boat tanks carrying live salmon, for example, is a continuing issue. The traditional coatings for these specialized parts of vessels are not tough enough to hold up for long. And the rusty interior of a tank is not an option. The well-boat owners and operators are demanding a longer-lasting solution. Ecospeed glass-platelet reinforced vinyl ester is much tougher than these traditional coatings. But we needed to be able to certify that it conformed with the FDA standard for such use. Now we can.

Case study – the Zeeland oyster cutter

Pols-Bom, a certified organic oyster cultivation company operating in Zeeland, in The Netherlands. Founded in 1870, Pols-Bom is based in Yerseke in the southwest of The Netherlands, along with some 15 other oyster farmers. Pols-Bom was one of the first to lease oyster fields in the Eastern Scheldt (Oosterschelde) and in Lake Grevelingen. The trade has been passed down from generation to generation since the company was founded. The knowledge built up within the Pols family over the generations makes it possible for the company to deliver a very superior product today. Mr. Jacques Pols,  the current director of Pols-Bom, is the fifth generation to carry on the family tradition.

A key distinction of Pols-Bom is that their oysters are certified 100% organic by Skal who monitor organic products in The Netherlands, from cultivation through processing. The company goes to great lengths not only to ensure that the oysters they bring to market are of the highest quality, but also that they carry out their cultivating and processing activities with maximum care for and minimum impact on the environment.

Key to the Pols-Bom oyster cultivation activities is their oyster cutter, YE 48 Op Hoop van Zegen which is used to transport and harvest the oysters. And central to this oyster cutter is the hold where the oysters are deposited and kept. The lower part of the hold is unpainted stainless steel. The upper part of the hold is steel and needs to be protected from corrosion and from the abrasion of tons and tons of oysters with their highly abrasive shells being loaded and unloaded.

In 2007, Ecospeed was recommended to Mr. Jacques Pols as the ideal coating for the upper part of the YE 48’s hold. Ecospeed was applied in two coats to a dry film thickness (DFT) of 1000 µm or 40 mils. The boat has been in constant use since then and the original coating has not needed to be replaced. In 2013 and again in 2022, Mr. Pols ordered very small quantities of Ecospeed to touch up areas where there was some mechanical damage, but otherwise the coating is protecting the steel as well as it was when first applied. It is in extraordinarily good condition, as shown in the photos. “I am a very happy customer,” says Mr. Pols.  

The 100% non-toxic, food contact safe nature of Ecospeed is essential. The oysters are in contact with the coating on the sides of the hold so that if it had any toxicity, it could negate the 100% organic certification.

The breakthrough in context

For years, non-toxic Ecospeed coatings have been sold and used primarily as:

• A high performance hull coating system
• Protection for icebreakers and ice-going vessels
• Long-term protection of offshore assets (Ecolock)
• High-abrasion service such as decks, dredger hoppers, boottops and bulbous bows
• Rudders, thrusters and other cavitation-prone areas (through Ecoshield)
• Chemical corrosion applications such as scrubbers (also Ecoshield)

Now we can add another sector to this list: Aquaculture and food-contact marine applications.

This is particularly significant to the global salmon farming industry which is large and continues to grow.

Operators of salmon well boats and other live fish transport vessels have traditionally had limited choices when selecting long-life protective coatings for fish tanks. In our contacts with aquaculture operators in Chile, for example, the problem with protecting these tanks for an extended period of time came up repeatedly.

So we are very pleased to announce that we can now offer a solution which will solve these problems permanently.

• A coating with a service life measured in decades rather than years.
• Excellent resistance to abrasion from nets, pumps, equipment, and cleaning.
• No biocides.
• Excellent corrosion protection.
• Easy cleaning because of the hard, smooth surface.
• Reduced maintenance and drydocking.
• Certified food contact safety compliant.

We expect to see Ecospeed coatings widely adopted by those marine industries that have long sought such a solution.