Recent studies on mineral oils found in foodstuffs have raised concerns about consumer safety. According to these studies, traces of mineral oils migrate to food from inks found on the printed surface of packaging and in recycled packaging papers.
Although no toxicological studies on the effects of human exposure to mineral oil traces currently exist, the International Confederation of Paper and Board Converters in Europe (CITPA) says the paper-based packaging industry is taking the matter very seriously and is “proactively working to address any concerns”.
It states: “Despite the absence of clear scientific and regulatory guidance the industry has already made significant progress towards reducing the levels of mineral oils contained in its processes and products. In some cases a reduction of up to 90% in mineral oil levels has been observed over the last 24 months.
“To formalise and further strengthen its efforts to reduce the use of mineral oils, the industry has agreed on a European-wide self-commitment. This will phase out the use of printing inks based on mineral oils for printing paper and board packaging, and mineral oil-based process chemicals for food contact paper and board packaging material.”
