Food Safety. Migration of chemicals from printed packaging into food

3^rd February 2022: Ecol Studio is the first laboratory in Italy accredited for the technical standard UNI/TS 11788:2020.

Ecol Studio is the first laboratory in Italy accredited for the technical standard UNI/TS 11788:2020.

The method can be considered a tool for a preliminary assessment of food contact materials and objects (FCMs), with the aim in particular to verify the presence of organic compounds and the possible transfer of substances to food.

Chemicals’ migration risk in FCMs

Article 3 of Regulation (EC) N° 1935/2004 states that materials and articles, including active and intelligent materials and articles, shall be manufactured in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) so that, under normal or foreseeable conditions of use, they do not transfer their constituents to food in quantities which could:

(a) endanger human health; or

(b) bring about an unacceptable change in the composition of the food; or

(c) bring about a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics thereof.

Regulation (EC) N° 2023/2006 on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) states that the materials and articles listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) N° 1935/2004 and combinations of those materials and articles or recycled materials and articles used in those materials and articles should be manufactured in compliance with general and detailed rules on good manufacturing practice (GMP).

Printing inks and set-off risk

Furthermore, " Printing inks applied to the non food-contact side of materials and articles shall be formulated and/or applied in such a manner that substances from the printed surface are not transferred to the food-contact side".

The set-off occurs when FCMs on which printing inks have been applied are stacked on top of each other or when they are on reels. Under these conditions, the inks can transfer to the side of the article intended for contact with food and, therefore, migrate to the food, representing a risk to the health of consumers.

What does the UNI/TS 11788:2020 apply to?

The technical standard UNI/TS 11788:2020 is an efficient tool for evaluate the finished product, the production process and the set-off in order to ensure that any substances present on the printed surface is not transferred to the side in contact with foodstuffs.

The method shall be applicable for flexible packaging, paper and board packaging and rigid plastic packaging.

Ecol Studio

Ecol Studio is a company of Lifeanalytics Group specialising in laboratory analysis, consulting and training.

It successfully operates in the fields of product quality, environmental analysis and occupational safety with distinctive skills in services and markets, offering innovative, customised products and punctual solutions with high added value. Since 1982 Ecol Studio has been a strategic partner for companies and supports the growth of its customers in policy implementation aimed at sustainable development.

Ecol Studio is an international point of reference for food contact materials in paper and board and other materials.

For more information:

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S1AMO Ecol Studio: One organization, lots of novelties!

Lucca, December 2018

Press Release

S1AMO Ecol Studio: One organization, lots of novelties!

Ecol Studio is pleased to officially announce the successful conclusion of the merger operations that have allowed incorporating the two Italian companies purchased in the course of the last two years – ECOL STUDIO TPU S.r.l. and ECOL STUDIO FEA S.r.l. – into ECOL STUDIO S.p.A.

Ecol Studio: an operational facility in Milan.

Lucca, September 2018

Press release

Ecol Studio: an operational facility in Milan.

A further step along a growth path to strengthen the company’s position in Italy.

With a view towards strengthening its position on the Italian market, Ecol Studio has set up a new facility in Milan.

The new office, located in Lissone, will be headed by Gabriele Cattaneo, experienced consultant in occupational health & safety.

Operational throughout the region of Lombardy and not only, the facility will mainly be involved in implementing innovative projects and consultancy and training activities in collaboration with the team of experts at the Lucca headquarters. Additionally, the Milanese team will support the central laboratory in all sample analysis activities.

Ecol Studio is an Italian company specialised in laboratory tests, consultancy and training that has been successfully involved in the fields of product quality, the environment and occupational safety for over 36 years through its different operational facilities in Italy: Lucca, Padua, Ravenna, Udine, Turin and now also Milan that was once the company’s registered office.

The new facility serves to strengthen Ecol Studio’s position and the brand’s presence in the territory. Additionally, being closer to our major customers in the northwest area of the country testifies to the company’s intention to focus on their needs and, thanks to our stable presence nearby, to meet their demands even more effectively.

“This new opening will allow Ecol Studio to be even closer to its customers and to answer even more accurately and promptly to companies’ needs, confirming itself to be an efficient partner,” states Claudio Fornari, CEO of Ecol Studio S.p.A.

Gabriele Cattaneo, Manager of the new Milan office, will mainly handle consulting, offering customers the distinctive services that characterize Ecol Studio in the different realms: occupational health & safety, environment and product quality. And with him, a team of experts will follow customers by proposing the many innovative services and added value initiatives available from Ecol Studio.

“The new office is a further step forward in the path to growth that our company – among the leaders on the Italian market – is pursuing with great strides in Europe, too. It further underscores Ecol Studio as one of the most structured companies in the field,” proudly concludes Claudio Fornari.

The inauguration will take place in the course of the coming weeks to officially present the team and the many projects in progress. If you would like to receive an invitation, please send an email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Ecol Studio: First step to Europe!

Ecol Studio is pleased to announce the opening of a new facility in Sweden – the first step towards a growth process in Europe.

Ecol Studio, an Italian company specialised in laboratory tests, consulting and training that has been successfully involved in the fields of product quality, the environment and occupational safety for over 36 years, is opening a company in Sweden.

Ecol Studio Consulting AB inaugurated its office in Lund, in southern Sweden, just a short distance from Malmö and easily reachable also from Copenhagen. The company will focus on the development of the paper industry value chain in European countries.

Ecol Studio Consulting AB will interface with the market through the traditional consultancy approach that characterises the Italian company, consistently able to leave tangible signs of its way of working in customers. Ecol Studio as a partner capable of aiding companies to attain important results in terms of sustainability and to turn these policies into a true competitive advantage for companies who strongly believe in these values.

The company is headed by Consuelo Giordani who, following several decades of experience as consultant, Area Manager, and after covering the role of Managing Director of Ecol Studio S.p.A., will follow international customers in collaboration with the lab and the team FCMs/Paper of Lucca. “The numerous companies located in Scandinavia and throughout Europe can today count on a unique interlocutor, and design with Ecol Studio a customized assistance service based on the demands of the different sites and individual countries”, explains Claudio Fornari, CEO of Ecol Studio S.p.A. “Ecol Studio has always distinguished itself for its availability toward market requests and its promptness in answering to customer demands. The possibility of assisting and supporting our customers located in Europe becomes foundational to continue working efficiently and to guarantee effective, timely service.”

For years Ecol Studio is the international reference point for paper and board materials intended to come into contact with food such as plastic, glass and other disposable matrices and objects, acknowledged for its distinctive competences and for the ability to offer innovative, customised services and precise, high value-adding solutions.

Ecol Studio has always been a strategic partner for companies aiming for growth based on policies focused on sustainable development. Today the brand includes three Italian companies working in synergy from locations in the central/north of the peninsula. And this established and efficient work group is now enhanced by the addition of the first international facility, Ecol Studio Consulting AB, with the goal of strengthening business development in Europe.

“This is just the first step of an internationalization process that Ecol Studio has undertaken with the scope of confirming its position of reference company for the paper field, in Italy and in the rest of the world. Inspired by our vision – “Together with our customers for a better world” – we have always worked with this clear and ambitious goal in mind, and today we are proudly exporting this ideal abroad!” Si it is really the case to say: “First step to Europe!” #staytuned”, concludes Claudio Fornari enthusiastically.

For further information:
Paola Pellegrini - Marketing Dept.- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Tel. +39 0583 40011