Sometimes when I have a heavy cake I will get a nice piece of plywood from Menards have my dh cut it to the size I need and cover it with clear contact paper. I will either put some pretty paper on it before hand or cover the contact paper with fondant, but the cake is always on its own cake round of board and never sitting directly on the contact paper. I have recently been told that the hd will not allow me to use this so does anyone know anything about this or have a different idea for my wooden boards? Also, this stuff isn't paper at all but pretty heavy plastic so maybe I'm just using the wrong terminology.
About two months ago I emailed this question to the makers of Con-Tact brand clear contact paper:
Is contact paper food safe? Can I sit a cake directly on a board covered with Con-Tact brand paper? Just for clarification, I am using the clear, transparent covering, the kind that is sticky and has a peel off paper layer. Is it food safe?
This is the reply I received:
Yes, that is food-safe as there is no ink, hence no lead.
Yes, you can use clear contact paper. I have used it for years, in fact, I use it over a board that I cover in fabric, then cover with contact paper, and cut away the contact paper which is 'not' under the cake area. See my purse cake in my photos for an example. I used the fabric for inspiration and didn't want the grease from the buttercream leaching onto the fabric.
if the HD won't allow you to use the contact paper, you could also use the plastic/vinyl table cloths. You can get them at the $ store, party supply stores, walmart, etc. They are between $1-$2 and you can cover a lot of boards with them. I usually use 2 layers because they are thin, but they wipe up easily.
Even though I use contact paper to cover boards that I wrap in cloth or wrapping paper, I still have the cake on a separate cake board that I stick to the contact-paper- covered board.
Clear Contact paper has chemicals in it (phthalates) in order to make it very flexible. There have recently been concerns about prolonged contact with these chemicals, especially with greasy and/or acidic foods) because those chemicals can leach into the foods.
I spoke with the Kitterich company about 2 years ago and was given conflicting information at first. Eventually, the resolution was that food should NOT have prolonged contact with ANY soft, supple vinyl or plastics--even clear tablecloths, etc.--so as to prevent the leaching of the phthalates into the foods. The clear Contact paper has NOT been manufactured as a "food safe" product. The term "prolonged" is relative, but to me, if the cake is going to sit on it for over 30 minutes, that's prolonged.
I use the clear Contact paper, making sure that there is a cake board between the cake and the surface.
That said, if your HD says NO, if you choose to go against that admonition, you leave yourself open to an ugly can of worms should someone decide to make an issue of it.
Rae
I also contacted the company and at first the woman on the phone said, "Yes you can put your baked goods on it." But then I explained in more detail about cakes and she thought I was talking about wrapped products... "Oh-no", she then said, "It is not certified as food safe and not food should be places directly on it or have any contact to it like a piped boarder of icing."
Also if your HD said no then why would you listen to someone on line that says yes?
How about the Glad press and seal wrap? I would think it has to be safe to cover boards. I worry about not covering boards. I am always afraid the cake will cause the board to soften and bend.
I use foam core boards--they CAN'T soften and bend because sandwiched betweent the paper is polystyrene foam 
Rae
True, but for me, it's too expensive to use foam core. 
True, but for me, it's too expensive to use foam core.
??? I buy a 20x30 inch 3/16th inch board for no more than $1.50--usually more like $1. I get them on sale at Michael's or Joann about 2x/yr. I can cut 6 10 inch rounds from that 20x30...............25 cents/board.
A pack of 12, 10" round boards from countrykitchen is $3.25 (not including shipping)----27 cents/board. If I use a Michael's coupon, they're about the same. If I buy these at the local cake shop, I believe that they are .40 cents each.
Rae
Also, having to cut out rounds, wow, what a pain! I pay less than half that for boards bought in bulk.
So the foam core is food safe? I'm so confused.
Never been determined one way or the other.
I learned to use it from Colette Peters, who's been doing it for years in NYC, a place notorious for health inspectors.
It's white kraft paper over a polystyrene core. I sanitize it and have had no problems with it.
Rae
I do not have a business as it is illegal from my State to bake and sell from home.. so this is just a question coming form someone who has not been through all the ropes of the HD and so forth...
But I am really confused about the foam core Blake and how you sanitize it. What kind of sanitizing stuff are you using? I thought sanitizers were only made for use on none porous surfaces. You can't get much more porous then paper. So it would be impossible to get the sanitizing chemicals out of the paper without totally ruining the integrity of the foam core. So you are serving sanitizer on your boards... ew! I know there a pluthera of answers about even using the foam core so I won't go there... except to say that it really depends on the rules in your local area. Sorry to put you on the spot like this Blake but I think it's important to bring up the issue of the sanitizing.
I'm not so stupid as to use something that isn't food safe to sanitize the boards---I wipe them down with high alcohol extract (usually vanilla) or clear drinking alcohol--Everclear, vodka, gin, or rum.
The kraft paper is polished so that it's nearly waterproof. It will absorb moisture if you soak it in liquid, but I don't do that.
Rae
This is the reply I received:
Yes, that is food-safe as there is no ink, hence no lead.
Just because something doesn't have lead in it doesn't mean that it's food safe.
That being said, I do use clear contact paper sometimes. But, if the HD told you that you can't use it, it doesn't really matter what the rest of us think.
... that's just not what comes to mind first when the word sanitize comes up. Thanks for clarifying. And I also saw you put that in another thread when explaining about the foam core-I am sure that will help a lot of people Blake. 
ok, I also called the Con-tact brand company and was told is has not been tested at all for food safety....PVC's, etc in the product. I have never used it, but thought that it might be nice to be able to use wrapping/colored paper or fabric too on the cake board and then cover it with the con-tact paper.....So, it that is done, should a layer of plastic wrap then be put over the con-tact layer? in addtion to the cake itself being on its own board?? I usually use freezer paper or Wilton foil, but would love to try different options.
TIA
Clear Contact paper has chemicals in it (phthalates) in order to make it very flexible. There have recently been concerns about prolonged contact with these chemicals, especially with greasy and/or acidic foods) because those chemicals can leach into the foods.
I spoke with the Kitterich company about 2 years ago and was given conflicting information at first. Eventually, the resolution was that food should NOT have prolonged contact with ANY soft, supple vinyl or plastics--even clear tablecloths, etc.--so as to prevent the leaching of the phthalates into the foods. The clear Contact paper has NOT been manufactured as a "food safe" product. The term "prolonged" is relative, but to me, if the cake is going to sit on it for over 30 minutes, that's prolonged.
I use the clear Contact paper, making sure that there is a cake board between the cake and the surface.
That said, if your HD says NO, if you choose to go against that admonition, you leave yourself open to an ugly can of worms should someone decide to make an issue of it.
Rae
WOW! It's been 3 years since I was on here trying to warn people about the dangers of using household plastics for foods, since contact paper and other vinyls are not food safe. The argument got kind of ugly at times so I'm happy to see that the general consensus here has turned around!
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