Is standard for food grade ink?

Date: Sep 23 2024 From: Star Color

Food grade ink is a printing material used for food contact materials and products, and its safety and quality directly affect food safety and consumer health. Worldwide, governments and international standardization organizations have established strict standards and specifications for food grade inks to ensure that they do not release harmful substances into food during use.

Food grade inks in the printing industry mainly include water-based inks, UV inks, soy inks, and other environmentally friendly inks that do not contain heavy metals or VOCs. However, traditional solvent based inks contain a high amount of VOCs and other solvents, making it difficult to achieve food grade.

The standards for food grade inks in major countries around the world

EU standards
The EU has a strict standard system for food contact materials, such as EU Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and subsequent amendments, which provide a basic framework for food contact materials. For ink, EU standards focus on its mobility and toxicity assessment, ensuring that the ink does not contain harmful substances or that its migration in food is at a safe level.

1. EU Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004: This is the fundamental regulation of the European Union on food contact materials, which sets out general requirements for food contact materials, including substances such as inks that may be used for these materials. This regulation requires that all food contact materials must not release harmful substances into food under normal use and foreseeable abuse conditions.

2. European Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011: This regulation lists a list of substances that can be used for plastic materials in contact with food, including some components that may be used for inks. If the components in the ink are on this list and their migration amount meets the relevant limits, then the ink can be considered safe.

3. Specific migration limits (SMLs) and maximum residue levels (MRLs): The EU also sets specific migration limits and maximum residue levels to restrict the migration of certain substances from food contact materials into food. These limits are typically based on toxicological assessments and take into account consumers' exposure levels and potential health risks.

Is standard for food grade ink?

American Standard
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating food contact materials, including inks. The FDA mainly guides the use of ink in food contact materials by issuing relevant regulations and guidelines. For example, FDA 21 CFR 175.300

1. FDA regulations and guidelines: The FDA regulates food contact materials, including inks, by issuing a series of regulations and guidelines. These regulations and guidelines require that the ingredients used in ink must be safe and harmless, and will not migrate harmful substances into food.

2. Colorant regulations: Colorants in ink are one of the ingredients that the FDA pays special attention to. The FDA has detailed regulations on coloring agents that can be used in food contact materials in accordance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and related color additive regulations. These regulations include the types, purity, and usage restrictions of coloring agents.

3. Good Manufacturing Practice: The FDA encourages ink manufacturers to follow Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to ensure product quality and safety. This includes various links such as raw material procurement, production process control, and product inspection.

4. Food Contact Notification (FCN): For certain new inks or ingredients, the FDA may require manufacturers to submit a Food Contact Notification (FCN) to demonstrate their safety and suitability. FCN is one of the important means for FDA to evaluate the safety of new food contact materials.

5. Exemptions and thresholds: The FDA has also set some exemptions and thresholds to simplify the regulation of certain low-risk inks. For example, for certain low mobility ink components, the FDA may set a maximum allowable migration amount or concentration threshold.

Food grade water-based ink printing paper tray

Food grade water-based ink printing paper tray

Japanese standards
The management of food contact materials in Japan is also very strict, mainly under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Its standard system covers all aspects of food contact materials such as ink.

1. Food Hygiene Law: This is Japan's basic law on food safety, which includes regulatory requirements for food contact materials (including ink). According to the law, food contact materials must ensure that they do not cause harm to human health under normal conditions of use.

2. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW): As Japan's health and welfare department, MHLW is responsible for formulating and implementing regulations and standards related to food safety. The department may issue specific guidelines or standards to regulate the use and supervision of food grade ink.

3. Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS): Although JIS standards do not directly target food grade inks, they provide detailed technical requirements and testing methods for various products and materials. In the ink industry, JIS standards may include regulations related to ink performance, composition, and safety, which may have an impact on the production and application of food grade inks.

4. Regulations on Food Contact Materials: In addition to the Food Hygiene Law, Japan may also issue specialized regulations on food contact materials, which provide detailed safety requirements, testing methods, and compliance assessment procedures for food contact materials (including inks).

Chinese standards
In China, the first national standard for ink used in food contact materials and products, "National Food Safety Standard for Ink Used in Food Contact Materials and Products" (GB 4806.14-2023), was officially released on September 25, 2023, and will come into effect on September 6, 2024. This standard specifies the definition, classification, raw material requirements, sensory requirements, migration tests, and heavy metal residue indicators for food grade inks. The specific regulations include:

Raw material requirements: Basic raw materials and additives should use substances approved by China for use in food contact materials, and comply with the requirements of GB 2760 and relevant announcements.

Classification: Ink is classified into "ink for direct contact with food" and "ink for indirect contact with food" based on whether it comes into direct contact with food.

Migration test: A migration test is required to evaluate the risk of substances in ink migrating to food.

The indicators for residual heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, etc., are clearly defined.

Common features of global standards

Although there are differences in the specific standards for food grade ink among countries, the common characteristics are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1. Raw material safety: It is required that the raw materials and additives used in ink should be safe and harmless, without toxic or harmful substances.

2. Migration control: Evaluate the migration amount of ink components into food through migration tests to ensure that they are within a safe range.

3. Heavy metal residues: Strictly control the amount of heavy metal residues in ink to ensure food safety.

4. Good Manufacturing Practices: Encourage ink production enterprises to follow good manufacturing practices to ensure product quality and safety.

The standards for food grade ink are highly valued worldwide, and governments and international standardization organizations have established strict standards and regulations to ensure its safety and quality. From China's GB 4806.14-2023 to the EU's EC No 1935/2004, to the US FDA regulations and Japan's food hygiene laws, these standards together constitute the global safety assurance system for food grade inks.

The water-based ink and UV ink produced by Zhongzhixing Color are environmentally friendly products that do not contain harmful substances such as VOCs and have no pollution to the environment. The safety level has reached food grade and can be used for printing paper cups, paper plates, and napkins. Meanwhile, its fast drying speed can significantly improve printing speed and production efficiency. This feature not only meets current environmental requirements, but also satisfies the printing industry's demand for efficient production.