Engaged discussion at the German Seminar for Radcure printing on food packaging

RadTech Europe had a very successful conference in Germany and will as a follow-up organize a similar event in France on September 30th around printing & packaging materials. The seminar was triggered by input from the members, statements of the members in the press and on their websites, various food alerts, articles and programs in the media on food packaging that were linked to radiation curing printing systems.

The goal was to provide a clear, balanced view on the safety and pros and cons of radiation curing technology for food packaging and connecting and educating people from the various disciplines across the industry. The strategy / how, RadTech invited a group of highly experienced and qualified specialists across the industry (raw materials, printing inks, equipment, packaging, officials and brand owners) to share their views. The experts were asked to present, challenge, question and discuss the proper use and application possibilities utilizing the benefits of the technology to the max.

The program started with a short introduction of RadTech Europe as an organization, followed by a session on technology and regulations. After lunch, participants were offered several real life case studies, before the seminar concluded with a session on product and process safety.

Technology and regulations

As a starter Dr. Helmut Gräger of BASF gave a very comprehensive overview of the basics of UV formulations in printing applications and highlighted various developments and new technologies suitable for printing food packaging. Dr. Bernhard Küter from the Bundes-genossenschaft BG ETEM took over, avoiding no controversy discussing the relevant food safety regulations and grey areas. After his presentation the audience was taken into the printing part of the supply chain. Mr. Ulrich Sause of Nordson explained the practical possibilities and limitations that printers have to take into account when checking and assuring proper curing of inks.

Then Dr. Mira Punkert of the LAVES Institute zoomed in on the lessons from the past food safety issues and the measurement and control of specific photoinitiators that have the potential to migrate into food substances. Her presentation triggered a lot of questions and a very lively discussion that even continued during the excellent lunch buffet.

Practical examples of the use of the technology

In the afternoon, the session on practical examples of the use of the technology was kicked off by Dr. Heinz Schweiger of Zeller and Gmelin. He explained all about the available technologies, their optimal use and trends influencing consumer behavior. This was followed by a “hands-on” example of good manufacturing practice by Mr. Stefan Feil: describing the production of a high end printed chocolate box. His company IST Metz took this example through the complete value chain, even making it available to the consumer by selling it via a local bakery. More on actual usage in food packaging was presented by Frau Petra Schmanke responsible for food safety for all Nestlé companies in Germany. She explained that Nestlé sees the technology as a very viable high quality printing system for food packaging. Petra Schmanke also stressed the importance of working together throughout the chain to ensure safe processes and the proper use of suitable inks. This session was concluded by Dr. Alexander Kalisch of the FABES research institute in Munich. He gave a good insight into the legal aspects of migration measurements and classification of the various testing methods versus real life processes / applications.

Product & process safety

The topic of the final session of the day was product & process safety. A view from a converter was given by Mr. Werner Veit of Constantia-Teich. He took the audience along in the process safely using UV curing lacquers on food packaging.

Mr. Josef Sutter of Michael Huber München gave an excellent overview and summary on behalf of the European Printing Ink association (www.EuPIA.org) on safe use of radiation curing inks touching and highlighting the various important aspects that were presented and discussed during the day. The seminar was concluded by the winner of the German innovation price 2009 for printing technology: IPM Print Control. Mr. Michael Müller explained how to avoid human failures using a newly developed IT tool managing the printing process.

After the last session the participants took the opportunity to have a drink and a snack talking and discussing with the experts. Luckily there was no volcano dust spotted over Stuttgart so all participants could travel home or on to their next assignments.

Conclusion and feedback

It can be concluded that the Radcure technology is a very suitable printing ink technology for food packaging but as always good manufacturing practice, education, management and control are required to ensure high quality and safe finishing. Overall the papers and speakers got an excellent rating by the delegates and the general opinion was that we need to communicate and work together across the industry .