Food Grade Paper Packaging

What Are Food Grade Papers?

Food grade papers are papers certified safe for direct food contact. They’re used for wrapping, lining, interleaving, and presentation across bakeries, delis, cafés, takeaways, and food manufacturing. The three main types - greaseproof, waxed, and tissue - each have different properties suited to different applications.

Unlike films and plastics, paper is inherently biodegradable and compostable. It breaks down naturally without leaving microplastics. Combined with responsible forestry certification (FSC/PEFC), food grade papers offer a renewable, compostable alternative for applications where their properties are sufficient.

Greaseproof Paper

Greaseproof paper is the workhorse of food service packaging. It resists oil and grease penetration, making it essential for wrapping fatty foods, lining baskets and trays, and presenting anything from fish and chips to artisan sandwiches.

How Greaseproof Works

There are two ways to make paper resist grease. One is to treat it with fluorinated chemicals (PFAS) that repel oil. The other is to mechanically refine the paper fibres until they’re so tightly packed that oil can’t penetrate - a process called calendering that compresses the fibres into a dense, low-porosity structure.

We use paper made by the second method. The grease resistance is structural, not chemical. This matters because PFAS compounds - often called “forever chemicals” - persist in the environment, accumulate in the body, and are increasingly restricted by regulation. The EU is tightening limits on PFAS in food contact materials.

Our greaseproof paper is genuinely PFAS-free. It’s safe for food contact, properly compostable, and won’t leave persistent chemicals in the environment or your customers.

Greaseproof Grades

White bleached at 34gsm is the lighter option - works well for sandwiches, lighter bakery items, and applications where you want the paper to do its job without adding bulk. Print shows crisp and clean against the bright background. This is the traditional weight for fish and chip shops.

White bleached at 40gsm gives you more substance. Better for greasier foods, heavier items, or where you want the paper to feel more premium in hand. The extra weight provides better grease holdout for oilier products.

Brown kraft at 40gsm suits brands going for that natural, artisan feel. Unbleached, it communicates craft and provenance before anyone reads a word. Popular with bakeries, delis, farm shops, and food businesses where authenticity matters.

All grades are FSC/PEFC certified from responsibly managed forests. Biodegradable, compostable, recyclable (when not heavily contaminated with food waste).

Greaseproof Applications

Sandwich and burger wraps - The classic application. Greaseproof wraps keep hands clean, contain any drips, and present food attractively. Printed wraps turn functional packaging into brand presentation.

Basket and tray liners - Line chip baskets, serving trays, and food containers. The paper absorbs excess oil while preventing grease transfer to the container underneath.

Pizza box liners - Prevent grease soaking through cardboard, keeping the outer packaging presentable for delivery.

Deli wraps - For cheese, sliced meats, and prepared foods at the counter. Grease resistance keeps products fresh and packaging clean.

Bakery presentation - Line cake boxes, wrap pastries, present baked goods. The paper protects products and adds perceived quality.

Interleaving - Separate slices of meat, cheese, or baked goods. Prevents sticking and makes individual portions easy to handle.

Waxed Paper

Waxed paper adds a thin wax coating to the paper surface, providing enhanced moisture resistance and a slightly glossy finish. It’s particularly useful for products where moisture barrier matters more than grease resistance.

How Waxed Paper Works

The wax coating creates a moisture barrier on the paper surface. This makes waxed paper ideal for wrapping products where you need to keep moisture in (cheese, deli meats) or out (dry goods that could absorb humidity).

Our waxed kraft paper uses highly refined food-grade wax that’s been tested for biodegradability - showing over 31% degradation within 28 days. The kraft paper base meets EN 13432 requirements for industrial composting.

All waxed papers we supply are food-safe and approved for direct food contact, complying with EU and FDA regulations for food packaging materials.

Waxed Paper Applications

Cheese and deli - Waxed paper excels at wrapping cheese, cured meats, and delicatessen products. The moisture barrier prevents drying while the paper allows some breathability.

Confectionery - Waxed tissue for interleaving chocolates, wrapping fudge, lining sweet boxes. The non-stick surface prevents products adhering.

Fresh produce - Unlike plastic, waxed paper lets fruits and vegetables breathe, extending freshness without the sweating that accelerates spoilage.

Butter and margarine - Waxed paper provides a moisture barrier for butter and margarine wrapping, offering an alternative to aluminium-laminated papers.

Food Grade Tissue

Food grade tissue is lightweight paper (typically 25gsm) certified safe for direct food contact. It’s acid-free, chlorine-free, and suitable for applications where you need a thin, soft paper.

Tissue Applications

Bakery pick-up sheets - The thin paper customers use to handle doughnuts, bagels, and pastries without touching the product directly. Hygienic and disposable.

Box and tray liners - Line chocolate boxes, biscuit tins, and presentation packaging. Adds cushioning and protects products during transport.

Interleaving - Separate delicate items like cookies, chocolates, or sliced cakes. Prevents sticking and damage.

Gift and presentation - Food-safe tissue for hampers, gift baskets, and premium food presentation. Available in colours as well as white.

Our food grade tissue is acid-free, which means it won’t yellow or degrade over time. It’s compostable and recyclable.

Siliconised Paper

Siliconised paper (also called baking parchment or release paper) has a thin silicone coating that provides non-stick properties. It’s heat resistant and releases cleanly from baked goods, confectionery, and sticky products.

Siliconised Paper Applications

Baking and confectionery - Line baking trays, cake tins, and moulds. Products release cleanly without greasing. Withstands oven temperatures.

Interleaving sticky products - Separate caramel, toffee, fudge, and other confectionery that would otherwise stick together.

Cheese and butter wrapping - The release properties prevent soft cheeses and butter from adhering to the wrapper.

Industrial release - Beyond food, siliconised paper is used wherever clean release from sticky substances matters.

Available in sheets or reels, one-sided or two-sided silicone coating depending on your application.

Choosing the Right Paper

	Greaseproof	Waxed Paper	Tissue	Siliconised
Weight	34-40gsm	25-40gsm	17-25gsm	30-45gsm
Grease resistance	Excellent	Good	Poor	Good
Moisture resistance	Moderate	Excellent	Poor	Moderate
Non-stick/release	No	Limited	No	Excellent
Heat resistant	Yes	No (wax melts)	Yes	Yes
Best for	Oily/fatty foods	Moist foods, deli	Dry goods, presentation	Baking, sticky products
Compostable	Yes	Vegetable wax only	Yes	Check grade
Printable	Excellent	Good (dry wax)	Limited	Limited

Choose greaseproof for fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches, pastries - anything with fat or oil content.

Choose waxed paper for cheese, deli meats, refrigerated products - where moisture barrier matters most.

Choose tissue for bakery pick-up, interleaving, presentation - lightweight applications without grease or moisture concerns.

Choose siliconised for baking, confectionery, and anywhere you need clean release from sticky products.

Printing on Food Grade Papers

Printed paper transforms functional packaging into brand presentation. Every wrapped sandwich, every lined basket, every sheet of greaseproof becomes an opportunity for customers to see your logo, colours, and identity.

We print flexographically using food-safe, vegetable-based inks. Four colours in-house handles most requirements. For more complex work - photographic images, subtle gradients, designs needing more colours - we work with print partners offering up to ten.

Common printed applications include:

• Branded burger and sandwich wraps for restaurant chains
• Logo greaseproof sheets for bakeries and cafés
• Patterned basket liners for fish and chip shops
• Custom deli paper for cheese shops and delicatessens
• Promotional sheets with QR codes and marketing messages

See our printed greaseproof page for more on custom branded paper, including specifications, minimum orders, and lead times.

Environmental Credentials

All our food grade papers share genuine sustainability credentials:

FSC/PEFC Certified - Paper sourced from responsibly managed forests with full chain of custody documentation. The trees removed are replanted, and forest ecosystems are protected.

PFAS-Free - No fluorinated chemicals. Grease resistance comes from mechanical refining, not chemical treatment. Safe for food contact and genuinely compostable.

Compostable - Paper breaks down naturally in industrial and home composting. Unlike films, there’s no microplastic residue.

Biodegradable - In natural environments, paper biodegrades completely. It doesn’t persist for centuries like plastic films.

Recyclable - Uncontaminated paper is recyclable. Heavily greased paper should go to composting instead.

Biodegradable Waxed Paper - Our waxed kraft paper uses food-grade wax tested for biodegradability, with the paper base meeting EN 13432 industrial composting requirements.

What We Supply

We supply food grade papers in multiple formats:

Sheets - Cut to any size for counter service, manual wrapping, and tray lining. Common formats include 250x250mm, 250x375mm, 300x450mm, and 375x500mm, but we cut to your specification.

Reels - On 76mm ID cores for your own converting or dispensing equipment. Custom widths to suit your setup.

Printed - Custom branded paper with your logo and design. See printed greaseproof for details.

Converting options include perforation (for breathability or easy tearing) and shape punching (circles, squares, or custom shapes for specific containers).

Food Safety and Compliance

All our food grade papers are:

• EU 10/2011 compliant - Meeting European regulations for food contact materials
• BRCGS accredited manufacturing - Food safety management you can rely on
• Fully traceable - Batch documentation and certificates available

We provide compliance certificates and documentation for food safety audits. When inspectors come calling, you’ll have the paperwork ready.

Working With Us

Food grade paper is often the simplest choice for food wrapping and presentation. It’s biodegradable, compostable, and made from renewable resources - no microplastics, no persistent waste. For many applications, it performs just as well as film alternatives.

We supply greaseproof, waxed paper, tissue, and siliconised paper in various formats - sheets or reels, printed or plain. Whether you need a few thousand sheets for a café or regular supply for a food service chain, we can help.

If you’re not sure which paper suits your application, get in touch. We’ll talk through what you’re wrapping, how it’s used, and what matters to your brand - then recommend the most appropriate option. Sometimes that’s premium printed greaseproof; sometimes it’s plain brown kraft; sometimes it’s waxed paper for the deli counter. We’d rather find the right solution than sell you the wrong product.