A03006: Identification of stages in the production of paper and board packaging materials where chemical hazards to food safety may occur
Wednesday 18 June 2003
This research project aims to identify potential food safety hazards from chemicals in paper and board packaging materials.
Background
The Council of Europe (CoE) Resolution on paper and board intended to come into contact with food, attempts an exhaustive listing of substances used along with certain purity requirements, extraction limits or specific migration limits. Possible contaminants (as opposed to known additives) are also listed. This draft list contains a large number (more than 200) of substances for which toxicological assessments have been made but an even larger number (more than 500) of substances which have not yet been fully evaluated. It seems certain that this list will continue to grow.
This CoE inventory list basically takes the Plastics Directive 2002/72/EC as its model. It is not clear however that a positive list approach is the best way to control the potential for migration from paper and board food packaging materials.
The purpose of this project was to investigate where in the papermaking process, chemical substances are added or where contaminant risks arise. The objective was to identify those chemicals that might reasonably be expected to remain in the finished product and hence transfer to packaged food. If substances are not carried through to the final packaging then legislation making use of a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) approach with only limited migration testing might be appropriate. If papermaking chemicals and contaminants do have the possibility of being present in the finished materials, the full application of restrictive legislation could be justified.
Research Approach
It was the intention of this project to gather basic information on the usage of chemicals in the manufacture of paper and board materials intended for food packaging applications. This information was to be coupled with processing conditions that could affect the fate of these chemicals, including their stability and solubility in process water. From the information received suggestions as to the best way to regulate paper and board were to be made.
Results and findings
Despite several UK paper mills being contacted insufficient information was available to meet the full objectives of the project. The representatives of the mills contacted gave a variety of reasons for this. These included confidentiality or lack of resource at the mills, or because in many instances the mills did not have detailed knowledge of the chemical composition of the papermaking formulations and services that they buy in. Instead an alternative source of information – documentation available under the requirements of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Regulations – was examined. While this provided some information on chemical inputs and fates, this was insufficient both in scope and depth to allow identification of stages in the production of paper and board packaging materials where chemical hazards to food safety might occur. In several instances the chemical composition of the substances added (e.g. 'biocides' and 'coating') is not known by the user. The complex water recycling procedures used may introduce additional quantities of chemicals such that their concentration in the final product will not be known accurately. Consequently, it was not possible to achieve the objectives of this project.
It was concluded that, since insufficient information is available regarding the usage and fate of the chemicals employed, there seems to be no alternative to analysing the finished materials to measure chemical content and assess their potential to release substances to foods placed in contact with them. This has been done in a related series of surveys (for example FSIS 6/00 and 27/02) and appropriate action taken where problems were found.
Dissemination information
Final report is available from the FSA Library and Information centre. To obtain a copy, please contact the Enquiry Desk, Dr. Elsie Widdowson Library and Information Services, Food Standards Agency (020 7276 8181/8182 or at infocentre@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk).
See Also