Safer food packaging made from recycled cardboard
PACKAGING The migration of substances, such as mineral oils, from packaging into food is a hot topic. There is a new guideline to improve the situation.
Test package for testing the barrier effect of films.Barriers can be used to prevent migration. Plastic inner bags can be such barriers. The Joint Industry Group on Packaging for Food Contact (JIG) of the Swiss Packaging Institute SVI tested various films, developed a method for measuring the effectiveness of barriers and published the "Guideline 2015.01_inner bag". The SVI presented the new guideline to the media on February 17.Strengthening trust in recycled cardboardThe guideline relates to applications with the following characteristics:- folding cartons commonly used in the retail trade;- recycled cardboard made primarily from recycled fibers;- dry foodstuffs;- long-term storage at room temperature.The results of this measurement method show that numerous plastics meet the defined benchmark.The guideline is intended to strengthen the confidence of packaging manufacturers and the food industry in the barrier effectiveness of inner bags for packaging made from recycled cardboard so that the safety of food packaging for consumers can be guaranteed.Supported by well-known companiesThe sub-project "Barriers for inner bags", which is behind this guideline, was launched in 2013. The tests were carried out by the Zurich Cantonal Laboratory between fall 2014 and spring 2015. Eight companies submitted almost 30 test foils. 20 results were published in the guideline. The project sponsors are BASF, Chocolat Bernrain AG, Hug AG, Jindal Films Europe S.àr.l., Midor AG, PetroplastVinora AG, Transparent Paper Ltd. and Treofan Germany GmbH.
