|
Food packaging should be safe and should not transfer their components into the foodstuff in unacceptable quantities. The European regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 defines fundamental requirements of food packaging. According to this, packaging materials shall not transfer their ingredients to food in quantities that may endanger human health, bring about an unacceptable change in the composition of the food or deteriorate aroma or taste.
Besides these very general rules some materials are regulated more in detail. Plastics and polymers are regulated in directive 2002/72/EC with several amendments. Specific rules are defined for twist off caps and the inner coatings of tin cans, but some very common food packaging materials like Paper and Board are regulated only in few countries.
Detailed information is available for the following packaging market segments:
Plastic Packaging
Food packaging should be safe and should not transfer their components into the foodstuff in unacceptable quantities. The transfer of constituents from food contact materials into food is called migration. To ensure the protection of the health of the consumer and to avoid any contamination of the foodstuff two types of migration limits have been established for plastic materials:
Overall migration as well as specific migration limits are fixed in the plastic directive 2002/72/EC.
Paper and Board
Beside the very fundamental requirements of the framework Directive EC (No) 1935/2004 there are no further legal requirement on a European level for paper and board used as food contact material. Some countries like France, Italy or the Netherlands do have national provisions but there is no harmonized legislation.
The Commitee of experts at the Council of Europe adopted several policy statements for food contact materials that are not regulated on a harmonized level. Resolution AP 2002 (1) gives quality criteria for paper and board material used as food packaging.
Twist - off caps for glass containers
Twist - off caps are covered by the Plastic - Directive 2002/72/EC since the field of application was expanded to these materials with the 4th amendment in autumn 2007 (Directive 2007/19/EC).
Therefore the rules applicable for plastics are also valid for the sealing material of glass caps. This is the
Especially the migration of plasticizers is reason for seríous concerns by industry and food producers. With Regulation EC (No) 372/2007 the European Union has established a higher migration limit for several plasticizers. This Regulation was valid until June 30th, 2007 and was expanded until April 30th, 2009 recently.
Tin Cans
Tin cans are not covered by any specific harmonized legislation in Europe. Nevertheless does food packaging made from tin have to fulfill the general requirements laid down in the framework Redulation EC (No) 1935/2004. According to this, food packaging should be safe and should not transfer its components into the foodstuff in unacceptable quantities.
Tin cans have to be protected against the food packed in it. Otherwise the ingredients of the food may dissolve metal ions from the tin which contaminate the food.
Exemplary tests we perform:
-
Physical test
-
Microbiological test
-
Global migration test
-
Specific migration test
-
Analysis of plastic
-
Overall migration to olive oil
-
Sensorical evaluation
-
Blowing agent azodicarbonamide (determined as break down product semicarbazide)
-
Epoxidized soy bean oil (ESBO)
-
Polyadipates
-
Phthalates (DiBP, BBP, DBP, DEHP, DEP, DMP, DOP)
-
Phthalates (DiBP, BBP, DBP, DEHP, DEP, DMP, DOP, DINP, DIDP, DEHA)
-
Adipates (DEHA, DBA)
-
12-(acetoxy)stearic acid, 2,3-bis(acetoxy)propyl ester
-
Sebacate and Citrate (Dibutylsebacate, Diethylsebacate, Tri-n-butylacetylcitrate)
|
|
 |
