What kind of ink is used for food label printing?
Date: Mar 20 2025 From: Star Color
In the field of food label printing, the choice of ink is of great significance. Since food labels are in direct or indirect contact with food, their safety cannot be underestimated. Below, we will delve into the core requirements of the ink needed for food label printing and conduct a detailed analysis of the characteristics of mainstream ink types such as water-based ink, UV ink, and soy-based ink.
Core Requirements for Food Label Ink
Food label ink must adhere to three key standards:
- Zero Toxicity Migration: It needs to pass strict food contact material tests such as FDA 21 CFR 175.300 (USA) and EU 10/2011 (EU) to ensure that no components in the ink will migrate into the food and endanger the health of consumers.
- Adequate Resistance: It should have excellent resistance properties. For example, it should be resistant to boiling water (60°C/30min) to withstand the high-temperature treatment during food processing; resistant to freezing (-18°C) for use on frozen food labels; and resistant to grease (n-hexane immersion test) to effectively deal with the grease components in food.
- Environmental Certification: It should comply with environmental protection regulations, with a VOCs content of less than 5% (GB 38507 - 2020) to reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds and protect the environment; the content of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury should be less than 50ppm (EN 71 - 3) to reduce the potential harm to the environment and the human body.
Mainstream Ink Types for Food Labels
Water-based InkPrinciple: Using water as a solvent, resins such as acrylic acid or polyurethane are used to encapsulate the pigments. During the drying process, the water evaporates, and the resin and pigments form a firm film attached to the surface of the label.
• Advantages:
o It is a model of environmental protection, achieving zero VOCs emissions and successfully passing the ISO 14001 environmental protection certification, which is in line with the current concept of green development.
o It has excellent adaptability to materials with good absorbency such as kraft paper and coated paper, and can show good printing effects.
• Disadvantages: The drying speed is relatively slow, and usually, infrared drying equipment needs to be used to accelerate the drying process; and in a high-humidity environment, the stability and adhesion of the ink will be affected to a certain extent.
• Application Scenarios:
o It is often used for the labels of dry goods packaging that are circulated at room temperature, such as tea and biscuit box labels, meeting the daily storage and sales needs.
o It can be used as the inner label in direct contact with food. The label on the body of Yili milk bottle is a successful application case, ensuring the safety of food packaging.
UV Curing Ink (UV Ink)• Principle: With the energy of ultraviolet light, it triggers the rapid cross-linking reaction of the photosensitive resin, and it instantly solidifies into a film, greatly shortening the printing cycle.
• Advantages:
o It has ultra-high printing precision, reaching above 175LPI, and can perfectly present high-precision patterns such as QR codes, meeting the high-precision requirements of modern label printing.
o It has excellent scratch resistance and alcohol wipe resistance. According to the ASTM D5264 test standard, it can effectively resist the friction and cleaning in daily use.
• Disadvantages:
o Special UV curing equipment needs to be equipped, which will bring high initial investment costs.
o Some low-end products may have the odor of photoinitiator residues, affecting the sensory experience of the product.
• Application Scenarios:
o It is widely used for wine bottle labels because it can withstand condensed water and ensure that the label remains clear and complete in a humid environment; it is also an ideal choice for frozen food labels and can effectively prevent cracking at low temperatures.
o It is suitable for making promotional labels and can be matched with special effects such as laser and frosted to enhance the visual appeal of the label.
Soy-based Ink• Principle: Innovatively using soybean oil to replace traditional mineral oil as the binder, the biodegradation rate is as high as > 90%, achieving a green upgrade of the ink.
• Advantages:
o It significantly improves the color vividness. With the Pantone-certified color gamut, the color performance is more vivid and full, making the food label more attractive.
o It has obtained the environmental protection certification of the American Soybean Association (ASA), which has more advantages when exporting to the European and American markets and complies with international environmental protection standards.
• Disadvantages: The drying time is 15% - 20% longer than that of water-based ink, which affects production efficiency to a certain extent; the cost is also relatively high, 10% - 15% higher than that of ordinary ink.
• Application Scenarios:
o It is especially suitable for the labels of organic food and products with green certification, such as the private brand of Whole Foods supermarket, highlighting the environmental protection and health concept of the products.
o It is often used for children's food packaging. It is not only safe and reliable but also recyclable, ensuring the health of children while taking environmental protection into account.
Comparison Table of Key Indices for Ink Selection
| Indicators |
Water-based Ink |
UV Ink |
Soy-based Ink |
| Drying Speed |
Slow (3 - 5 minutes) |
Fast (<1 second) |
Medium (5 - 8 minutes) |
| Water Resistance |
★★★☆☆ |
★★★★★ |
★★★☆☆ |
| Environmental Friendliness |
★★★★★ |
★★★☆☆ (contains monomers) |
★★★★★ |
| Applicable Materials |
Paper / Cardboard |
Film / Metal Foil |
Paper |
| Cost per Liter (Yuan) |
40 - 120 |
80 - 200 |
100 - 180 |
In the selection of food label printing ink, Zhongzhixing water-based ink is highly competitive. Zhongzhixing water-based ink strictly follows international safety standards and has passed a number of food contact material tests to ensure zero toxicity migration, building a solid defense line for food safety. It performs excellently in terms of environmental protection, with almost zero VOCs emissions and heavy metal content far lower than the specified standards, fully complying with environmental protection specifications such as GB 38507 - 2020 and EN 71 - 3.
In terms of performance, Zhongzhixing water-based ink has good resistance properties. Although its water resistance is slightly inferior to that of UV ink, it is sufficient to cope with the conventional use scenarios of most food labels, and it is particularly suitable for the printing of the labels of dry goods circulated at room temperature and some inner labels that need to be in direct contact with food.
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