Food packaging: New guidelines for paper and board food-contact materials introduced in Europe

-- Packaging Digest, 5/20/2010 1:00:47 PM

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) and the International Confederation of Paper and Board Converters in Europe (CITPA) have launched the voluntary ‘Industry Guideline for the Compliance of Paper& Board Materials and Articles for Food Contact’.

The Guideline, which has been independently peer reviewed by PIRA International, covers all paper and board materials and articles intended for food contact.  It gives guidance for establishing compliance with (EC) Framework Regulation 1935/2004 to paper and board producers as well as institutions and public authorities. This means it will not endanger human health by causing an unacceptable change in the food’s composition or deterioration in the way the food tastes, looks, feels and smells.

The Paper and Board sector has a long-standing commitment to the protection of human health and the interests of consumers through the provision of safe and effective materials. Many of the materials which come into direct contact with food, such as cellulose film, plastics and ceramics, are subject to material-specific measures which apply uniformly throughout the EU.

For paper and board, on the other hand, the picture is fragmented, with countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy, having national legislation, while other countries simply conform with the more general, non-material specific regulation 1935/2004. The unintended impression given to buyers is that compliance for paper and board is less clear than for other materials.

So it is against this background that the European paper packaging value chain has compiled the voluntary Industry Guideline for the Compliance of Paper & Board Materials and Articles for Food Contact (the Guideline).

“The industry has cooperated over a long period of time with governments, both at national and international level, and with other regulators, to make every provision necessary for the protection of consumers. The fact that the European Commission has chosen to regulate other materials instead of paper and board may be seen as a disadvantage but it is not seen as such within the sector. Our industry has taken the initiative to regulate itself on a voluntary basis.

The guideline is providing the methodology for demonstrating the suitability of paper and board materials and articles for food contact, now it is time to demonstrate  that the end result has been worth waiting  for.” explains Maria Casado, CITPA Managing Director.

Industry Guideline for the compliance of paper and board materials and articles for food contact:
www.citpa-europe.org

Peer Review:
http://www.cepi.org/content/default.asp?PageID=558&DocID=27381

SOURCE: International Confederation of Paper and Board Converters in Europe (CITPA)

.