German provides specific national legislation on FCM( Law of 15 August 1974 on Trade with Foodstuffs, Tobacco Products, Cosmetic Agents and Other Articles ("Lebensmittel und Bedarfsgegenständegesetz" or "LMBG").
In this are established general safety requirements for food contact articles, meanwhile for plastic articles additional requirements are provided by Germany's Regulation of 10 April 1992 on Food-Contact Materials.One way for a manufacturer to assure that products that are not covered by the Regulation of 10 April 1992 meet the LMBG's general safety requirements is to consider guidance contained in Kunststoffe im Lebensmittelverkehr of the Bundesinstitut für gesundheitlichen Verbraucherschutz und Veterinärmedizin (BgVV), currently known as the "BgVV Recommendations." These recommendations define specific positive lists of starting substances, that are permitted for use in individual food packaging applications. Although they are not legally binding, the BgVV Recommendations are widely respected in Germany, and German manufacturers often insist that materials meet existing BgVV recommendations. However, products whose safety can be demonstrated by other means are also equally compliant with German law.