The Invisible Ingredient: Why packaging ink is a food safety decision
When a consumer purchases pre-packaged food from a supermarket, local bakery or convenience store, they may be drawn to its appearance by its colour, design, unique shape, or finishing effects, such as a luxurious gloss or a beautifully embossed section for standout shelf appeal. But behind those marketing decisions, there is a legal and compliance team dedicated to ensuring that the packaging meets stringent food safety legislation.
Today, food authorities worldwide, such as the FDA, EFSA, and China’s National Health Commission (NHC), view packaging inks as potential sources of contamination, particularly if substances contained in the ink composition migrate into food. These regulations often vary by region and market, so ensuring compliance with each market’s requirements is crucial for a brand.
Choosing between Direct Food Contact (DFC) and Non-DFC ink on pre-packaged foods
Over the past two decades, the packaging industry has transformed its approach to ink formulation, raw material selection, and compliance documentation to ensure that ink transfer into foods is minimal.
Direct Food Contact packaging is any packaging where the printed or coated surface comes into direct contact with the food (e.g. fruit labels, paper straws). Indirect Food Contact (IFC) packaging is where the printed or coated packaging surface does not directly touch the food, and there is another layer or barrier separating the packaging from the food (e.g. noodle boxes, cheese packaging). Choosing the right ink depends on how it is applied to the packaging, either as direct food contact (DFC) or indirect food contact (IFC). DFC applications require more stringent requirements and controls, since there is no substrate or material that can act as a barrier between the ink and the food.
How ink transference happens
Although packaging leaders continue to innovate and experiment with ink formulations and raw material selection to minimise ink transfer, the risk of migration remains. The migration of packaging ink can occur through different pathways:
- Diffusion migration
This occurs when certain substances diffuse through packaging substrates over time. It depends on the application parameters and the substance's physicochemical properties. - Set-off migration
Occurs when printed surfaces come into direct contact with the food of another package layer during reeling or stacking. - Gas phase migration
Can occur when volatile substances migrate through the air space inside packaging. These compounds evaporate from the ink layer and eventually condense onto the food product.
To comply with migration limits imposed by regulators, converters must conduct migration testing on the final printed material.
But relying solely on final migration testing is not enough. Safety must be built from the start, which begins with careful raw material selection and innovative ink formulation development.
Where Flint Group Packaging Solutions differentiates
At Flint Group Packaging Solutions, food packaging safety is approached through a “safety-by-design” philosophy. This includes evaluating the toxicological profile of raw materials, minimising substances with higher migration potential, and optimising formulations for food packaging applications.
Our modern food packaging inks are increasingly designed with migration performance in mind. These migration-optimised formulations help reduce the risk of unwanted substance transfer while supporting high print quality and production efficiency. As an EuPIA member (European Printing Ink Association), Flint Group Packaging Solutions complies with the EuPIA charter requirements, which means we voluntarily exclude thousands of hazardous substances from all our ink formulations. In many cases, these voluntary standards go beyond existing legal requirements.
However, formulation design is only one part of the equation. Transparency and documentation are equally important. Key documents, such as a Statement of Composition (SoC), help converters better understand the regulatory status of packaging materials and support their own compliance assessments. These documents provide essential information about ink composition, regulatory considerations, and intended use conditions, helping converters make informed decisions and assess the overall compliance of the final printed material.
As regulations continue to evolve globally, packaging inks will remain under increasing scrutiny. What was once considered a purely aesthetic component is now recognised as a critical factor in food safety and compliance.
The industry’s challenge is no longer simply to create packaging that looks good. We must work as a collective to develop packaging systems where performance, regulatory needs and consumer safety all work in harmony.
Flint Group Packaging Solutions has a team of experts available to discuss regulatory compliance topics with its customers. If you would like to speak with a team member, please get in touch today. Contact us at info@flintgrp.com.