Water-based Ink Printing for Pizza Cartons
Date: Apr 01 2025 From: Star Color
I. Global Pizza Carton Market: High-speed Growth Driven by Environmental Protection
In 2023, the global pizza market size was approximately 145 billion US dollars (data from Statista). It is expected to grow to 150 billion US dollars in 2024. As the packaging for takeout pizzas, the consumption of pizza cartons exceeds 10 billion pieces, and the market size is about 8.6 billion US dollars (data from Technavio). The consumption in the United States accounts for one-third of the global total.
Corrugated cardboard, the core material of pizza boxes, dominates the market due to its recyclability, heat preservation properties, and low-cost advantages. Among them, 68% of pizza boxes use B/E/F corrugated cardboard, which not only meets the support requirements for large-sized 14-16 inch pizzas but also balances heat preservation and moisture-proof performance through its breathable structure. With 56% of consumers preferring restaurants that use environmentally friendly packaging, well-known pizza brands are turning to water-based ink printing to meet the dual requirements of food safety and sustainable development.
II. Food-grade Certification: The Core Threshold for Safety and Compliance
As a packaging material that comes into direct contact with food, the safety of the printing ink on pizza cartons is of utmost importance. The US FDA 21 CFR 176.170 and the EU AP(2024)1 resolution mandatorily require the use of non-toxic inks for direct contact packaging. China's newly implemented GB 4806.14-2023 "National Food Safety Standard - Inks for Food Contact Materials and Products" stipulates that inks for food contact must meet the requirements of banning heavy metal compounds such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, and strictly limit the migration of harmful substances such as aromatic compounds and heavy metals into food.
With its benzene-free formula and low volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions, water-based ink has become an environmentally friendly choice that can simultaneously meet international certifications such as FDA and EN71, as well as China's domestic GB 4806 series of standards. The food-grade water-based ink produced by Zhongzhixing has successfully passed the FDA and domestic food-grade tests and has been successfully applied to the packaging of pharmaceutical aluminum foils. Its technical maturity provides a reliable reference for the printing of pizza cartons.
III. Technical Advantages and Adaptability of Water-based Ink
- Substrate Compatibility and Printing Performance
- Water-based ink uses water as a solvent and has a strong adhesion to virgin wood pulp paper (in compliance with GB 4806.8-2016). It can achieve a 4B level of adhesion (ASTM D3359) without the need for corona treatment.
- An IR + hot air combined drying system is adopted, and the drying speed can reach 80-300 meters per minute, meeting the requirements of high-speed printing.
- Functional Upgrades
- After adding water-based polyurethane resin, the water resistance of the ink is significantly improved and can pass the retort test (121°C, 30 minutes), making it suitable for the packaging of frozen pizzas.
- Some high-end products support antibacterial functions, which can extend the shelf life of food by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms such as Escherichia coli.
- Food-grade Safety Certification
Migration Test Compliance:
| Test Item |
Standard Requirement |
Detection Method |
| Total Heavy Metals (Pb/Cd/Hg) |
≤1ppm |
ICP-MS |
| Residual Benzene-based Solvents |
Not Detected (Detection Limit 0.01mg/kg) |
GC-MS |
| Microbiological Index |
Total Colonies ≤100 CFU/g |
ISO 4833-1 |
International Certifications:
- US FDA Food Contact Notification
- EU EU 10/2011
- China GB 4806.8-2016
With the tightening of global environmental protection policies and consumers' increasing concern for food safety, the application of water-based ink in the printing of pizza cartons has shifted from being "optional" to "mandatory". Although the initial cost of equipment transformation is relatively high, its food-grade safety certification, long-term cost advantages, and sustainability make it a key choice for printing enterprises to enhance their competitiveness. It is recommended that enterprises give priority to brands that have passed the FDA 21 CFR 175.300 and GB 4806.14-2023 certifications (such as Zhongzhixing, DIC), and combine with UV-LED curing technology to achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement while ensuring food safety.
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