Kelpi’s seaweed coating clears FDA for US food packaging market

USA – Kelpi has cleared the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s food contact notification process for its seaweed-based biomaterial coating, enabling its use on paper and board packaging in contact with all food types at or below room temperature.

The FDA clearance, announced on 26 August 2026, validates the safety and performance of the coating as an alternative to fossil-based plastics on fibre packaging. 

The approval covers refrigerated and frozen foods, and also supports personal care and cosmetics packaging applications. 

The decision follows an earlier ‘Letter of No Objection’ from the Canadian Bureau of Chemical Safety, widening Kelpi’s regulatory track record and accessible North American markets. 

Regulatory Milestone and Commercial Pathway

The FDA’s food contact notification provides independent validation of both the safety and performance of Kelpi’s technology, giving commercial partners the confidence to launch in the US market, according to CEO Hugo Adams. 

The approval removes a key regulatory barrier that would otherwise prevent commercial partners from progressing US applications, allowing the company to move development work towards launch programmes without uncertainty over the coating’s regulatory status for intended food-contact conditions.

Industrialisation and Production Performance

Converting and production performance will need to be proven on industrial lines, as a coating that is acceptable for food contact must also be applied consistently at converting speed, tolerate filling and sealing operations, and maintain performance through distribution and shelf life. 

Compatibility with existing forming, filling and sealing machinery becomes a commercial advantage for material developers, as converters generally have little tolerance for packaging material that behaves differently from batch to batch. 

In June, Kelpi revealed a collaboration with Amcor aiming to integrate its barrier coatings into the company’s fibre-based packaging, with the coating said to be compatible with paper recycling streams.

What Kelpi’s Seaweed Coating Means for Fibre Packaging Performance

The Bristol-based company develops coatings from seaweed-derived biomaterials to give paper and board resistance to moisture, grease and gases without relying on conventional polymer structures that can complicate recycling. 

The commercial incentive is being strengthened by Europe’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which is increasing pressure on manufacturers to design for recyclability and reconsider structures that are difficult to recover.

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