Carboxyl-modified polyethylene resins may be safely used as the food-contact surface of articles intended for use in contact with food in accordance with the following prescribed conditions:

(a) For the purpose of this section, carboxyl-modified polyethylene resins consist of basic polymers produced when ethylene-methyl acrylate basic copolymers, containing no more than 25 weight percent of polymer units derived from methyl acrylate, are made to react in an aqueous medium with one or more of the following substances:

(b) The finished food-contact article, when extracted with the solvent or solvents characterizing the type of food and under the conditions of time and temperature characterizing the conditions of its intended use as determined from tables 1 and 2 of § 176.170(c) of this chapter, yields total extractives in each extracting solvent not to exceed 0.5 milligram per square inch of food-contact surface as determined by the methods described in § 176.170(d) of this chapter; and if the finished food-contact article is itself the subject of a regulation in parts 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, and § 179.45 of this chapter, it shall also comply with any specifications and limitations prescribed for it by that regulation. In testing the finished food-contact articles, a separate test sample is to be used for each required extracting solvent.

(c) The provisions of paragraph (b) of this section are not applicable to carboxyl-modified polyethylene resins used in food-packaging adhesives complying with § 175.105 of this chapter.