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Safety of Printed Packaging and other Food Contact Materials
Packaging and other food contact materials and articles, as established by the Regulation (EC) N° 1935/2004, 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:
- endanger human health; or
- bring about an unacceptable change in the composition of the food; or
- bring about a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics thereof. The risk of migration of chemical substances from materials to food potentially involves any molecule used in the production of objects intended for contact with food or generated during processes of use or degradation of materials, and can occur under different conditions. In the case of packaging or materials with printing inks, there may also be a specific case of migration called “set-off” .
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Set-off Migration Risk
The set-off occurs when Food Contact Materials 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. -
Regulation (CE) n. 2023/2006
Regulation (EC) n. 2023/2006 on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) , establishes that "printing inks applied on the side of the materials or objects not in contact with the food product must be formulated and / or applied so that the substances present on the printed surface are not transferred to the side in contact with the food product ". -
Risk Assessment
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.
Evaluate the safety of your printed packaging, contact our Food Contact Materials Laboratory by filling out this form.
Ecol Studio is the first laboratory in Italy accredited for the technical standard UNI/TS 11788:2020.
