Is Silicone Safe for Food Storage? What the research Says

The short answer

Food-grade silicone is a widely used, regulated food-contact material, and studies have not shown harm from normal kitchen use. It is not completely inert, though. Small amounts of low-molecular siloxanes (short silicone chains left over from manufacturing) can migrate into food, especially fatty food, at high temperatures and when the item is new. Quality varies a lot between products, so how it was made matters more than the word "silicone".

What is silicone?

Silicone is a synthetic rubber built on a backbone of silicon and oxygen atoms (polysiloxanes), with carbon-based side groups. That makes it different from most plastics, which have carbon backbones. It is flexible, heat tolerant and naturally non-stick, which is why it is used for baking moulds, spatulas, lids, seals, ice cube trays and reusable bags.

To turn liquid silicone into solid rubber, manufacturers "cure" it (link the chains together) using either:

• A platinum catalyst (often sold as "platinum-cured"), or
• Peroxides, which leave breakdown products behind that need to be driven off by heating.

After curing, good manufacturers "post-cure" or temper the product, heating it for hours to drive off leftover volatile compounds.

How is silicone regulated in the UK?

There is no specific EU or UK regulation just for silicone in food contact. Instead:

• The general rule applies. Under Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, kept in force in England by SI 2012/2619, food-contact materials must not transfer substances into food in amounts that could endanger human health, change the food's composition unacceptably, or spoil its taste and smell.
• Germany's BfR recommendation is the de facto benchmark. BfR Recommendation XV says silicone rubber for food contact should release no more than 0.5% volatile organic compounds and no more than 0.5% extractable substances, must test negative for leftover peroxides, and limits platinum catalyst residues to 50 mg per kg.
• Siloxane restrictions. The EU restricts three cyclic siloxanes (D4, D5 and D6) in many consumer products because they persist and build up in the environment (Regulation (EU) 2024/1328). These are among the low-molecular siloxanes found in poorly cured silicone.

LFGB vs FDA: what do the labels mean?

In practice, LFGB-tested silicone is held to a tighter volatile limit than products described only as FDA grade. But neither label is independent certification, so ask the brand for a test report if it matters to you.

What does the evidence show about siloxane migration?

• A study of silicone baking moulds measured overall migration into food simulants and real foods and found migration was greater into fatty foods and fell with repeated use (Helling et al., 2009).
• Researchers at the US FDA tested silicone products including bakeware and baby bottle teats and found siloxanes migrated into milk, infant formula and fatty simulants more than into water-based ones (Zhang et al., 2012).
• Germany's BfR built its 0.5% volatile limit on this concern: well-cured, post-cured silicone has fewer leftover siloxanes to give off (BfR Recommendation XV).

What the evidence does not show is that typical exposure from good-quality silicone harms people. The practical message is that cheap, poorly cured silicone used with hot, fatty food is where migration is highest.

Is silicone better than plastic for food storage?

Silicone handles heat better than most plastics and does not contain bisphenols or plasticisers. Polypropylene sheds more microplastics when heated (Li et al., 2020). So for flexible items, good silicone is a reasonable step down in exposure, but glass and steel remain the least reactive options for storing food, especially hot or fatty food.

How to choose and use silicone well

• Buy from brands that state LFGB testing or BfR XV compliance, and ideally post-curing.
• Wash before first use, and consider an empty bake at the temperature the maker recommends, with the window open.
• Do not exceed the maker's temperature limit.
• Keep fatty food contact short at high heat; use glass or steel for long storage of oily foods.
• Retire items that stay sticky, smell after washing, or are cracked.
• Do not rely on the "pinch test" (white showing when twisted). It is often said to reveal fillers, but it is not a validated test of food-contact quality.

Which silicone kitchen items matter most?

Not all silicone uses carry the same exposure. Based on the factors the studies above point to (heat, fat, contact time and newness), here is a rough order from higher to lower concern:

If you want to cut back, start with baking moulds used for fatty bakes, and switch to steel, enamel or glass for those. Seals on glass and steel containers are a small exposure and a sensible trade-off for a leakproof lid.

Where silicone makes sense in a lower-exposure kitchen

Silicone is most useful as a small part of an otherwise glass or steel system: the removable seal on a glass container, or the gasket on a steel lunch box. Our picks below use silicone this way, with glass or steel holding the food.

What to avoid

• Silicone with a strong chemical smell that does not fade after washing and an empty bake.
• Unbranded moulds with no temperature rating or food-contact information.
• Using silicone above its rated temperature, including under the grill.
• Storing oily foods in silicone bags for long periods, especially warm.
• Sticky, tacky or cracked items, which suggest the material is breaking down.

Bottom line

Good-quality, well-cured silicone is a lower-concern choice for seals, lids and baking, and it holds up to heat better than most plastics. Migration of siloxanes is real but small, and it is highest with new items, high heat and fatty foods. If you want the lowest exposure for storage, use glass or steel and keep silicone to seals.