Safety for food packaging from pure primary fibres 

The safety of food packaging has been a hot topic lately as traces of detrimental mineral oils have been found in some foodstuffs sold in cartons made of recycled fibres. The mineral oils originated from three main sources: printing inks in recycled fibre, inks used in food package printing, and chemicals used in production processes.

“Consumers require a lot from the packaging of sensitive products such as food,” says Olli Mäki, Vice President Cartonboard Sales for M-real Consumer Packaging. “There must not be any odour and taint transfer from the packaging to the product itself, and what’s even more crucial to the consumer, health risks have to be eliminated.

The entire output of M-real’s board mills involves primary fibre, which does not contain potential contaminants such as detrimental mineral oils. M-real can trace all the wood it uses back to the forest source. Any primary fibre additives used are closely monitored and M-real employs dedicated experts who are responsible for ensuring day-to-day chemical safety and compliance with EU regulations. All M-real board mills are certified with ISO 22000, the international food safety management standard. The highest hygiene standards are maintained during the logistics of finished products as well.

“We share the concern about the migration problem and participate in paper and board industry initiatives in order to solve the issue. We also recommend mineral oil free inks or low migration inks when printing,” Olli Mäki concludes.

More information
For further advice on the safety of M-real’s boards, product testing, and recommended printing inks, please contact your local M-real representative or contact Nina Happonen, Sustainability Manager, nina.happonen(at)m-real.com.