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Success of ICE Europe expo points to healthy industry
22 November, 2011
Clear trends emerge at a busy labels and labelling show
17 October, 2011
Stop worrying and do something about it
13 September, 2011
Looking ahead
04 August, 2011
Maureen Byrne said her farewells in last month’s editor’s comment so, this month, I say hello. Some of you will remember me from when I was editor of Packaging News, which was for almost 10 years. I left there five years ago, since when I have been editing publications for the wine and spirits sector. Now I am back in the world of converting and packaging and very much looking forward to progressing the editorial coverage of Converting Today and its sister titles, Contract Packing and Packaging Today, and, of course, to hearing your news. August, although traditionally a relatively quiet time for the manufacturing sector, is, nevertheless, an important time for planning ahead in preparation for the busy period to follow. In late September, for example, Labelexpo is taking place in Brussels. The organiser says it is already larger than the previous edition and that all six halls have been filled, which makes it the largest ever label event. Plus this year, for the first time, there will be a zone dedicated to package printing where converters can learn from demonstrations and seminars how they can expand their business beyond labels, often using the same equipment, into short run package printing (including flexible packaging, folding cartons, pouches and sachets).In this and next month’s issue we preview some of the many exhibits to be seen at the exhibition and I hope I will have the chance to meet many of you there.Felicity Murray,Editor
Farewell from me
05 July, 2011
Good news and bad news
12 May, 2011
Give more to receive more
07 April, 2011
Migration blues from ‘green’ cartonboard
17 March, 2011
It was reported by BBC News recently that leading food manufacturers are changing their packaging because of health concerns about boxes made from recycled cartonboard.This comes at a time when there is also concern about ink migration in all types of packaging, not just recycled materials, which is the subject of a feature in this issue.For materials to be suitable for food packaging, there is no room for error, as people’s health must not suffer as a result of ‘green’ or any other issues. Exposure to mineral oils has been linked to inflammation of internal organs and cancer.In the case of the recycled materials, which are used for many food products such as cereal packs, researchers found that toxic chemicals from recycled newspapers have contaminated food sold in such packaging. The chemicals, which are mineral oils, come from printing inks.Cereal company Jordans has stopped using recycled cartonboard; and Kellogg’s and Weetabix said they were taking steps to reduce the amount of mineral oil in their packaging.Government scientists in Switzerland found quantities of mineral oils between 10 and 100 times above the agreed limit in foods like pasta, rice and cereals in cartons made from recycled cartonboard.One scientific paper described the potential for mineral oils to migrate into foodstuffs as ‘frightening’, although the Swiss food safety authorities conclude that consumers who eat a balanced and varied diet have no need to worry.With more than half the cartonboard that is used in Europe made from recycled materials, this will be a huge switch for companies to make, and for materials suppliers to come to grips with, if all follow, Jordans’ lead. Virgin board from newly-harvested trees is more expensive and there is not enough of it to replace recycled board completely.In one study for the German food ministry last year, Dr Koni Grob, at the government-run food safety laboratory in the canton of Zurich, studied 119 products bought from German supermarkets. He found that mineral oils passed easily through inner bags used to keep food dry and fresh in many cases. The longer a product stood on the shelf, the more mineral oil it was likely to absorb.Dr Grob reported that 30 of the 119 were free from mineral oil: all the others exceeded the limit, and most exceeded it more than 10 times. “We calculated that in the long run they would probably exceed the limit 50 times on average and many will exceed it several hundred times,” he saidThe agreed safe limit for mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons, outlined in European legislation covering plastics packaging, is a concentration of 0.6mg/kg.Although the Food and Drink Federation in the UK said the Swiss study was ‘a good starting point for further investigations’, it says it does not in itself justify discontinuing the use of recycled board.However, manufacturers are taking no risks. Kellogg’s said it was working with its suppliers on new packaging ‘which allows us to meet our environmental commitments, but will also contain significantly lower levels of mineral oil’.Rather worryingly, Dr Grob said that even switching to virgin board would not eliminate the risk from mineral oils entirely, because food cartons are themselves stored and transported in larger outer board boxes that are made from recycled newspapers, and are also a source of contamination.Is this sensationalism or overstatement?Does the industry, or indeed consmers have anything really to worry about?No doubt there will be a flurry of response to these studies: I’ll keep you up to date on reactions from within the industry.Maureen Byrne,Editor
An inky problem
18 February, 2011
What’s in store for paper & board?
20 January, 2011
