Elaine Campling from ESMA HSEP Committee provides an introduction to European legislation governing food contact materials, with a focus on the printing industry
Printing inks are used on food packaging materials for decoration, to provide consumer information, as well as for marketing and identification purposes. Inks are designed for use with many different packaging materials, such as plastics, paper and board, and may be printed directly onto the substrate, or on labels for subsequent application. Without proper controls, ink components may come into inadvertent contact with the contained food through set-off or migration from the print. Ink setoff can occur on the reverse side of the substrate e.g. printed labels, either in a stack, or in the reel after printing. Low molecular weight substances may then be transferred to the unprinted surface of the packaging that comes into direct contact with the food item.
