Food packaging materials to export food safety hazard and control measures
Food packaging materials to export food safety hazard and control measures
Food containers and food packaging materials have a very close relationship to food safety. Generally speaking, the main function of packaging is to protect the goods and beautify the goods so as to preserve, store and use. But the safety of direct contact with food materials is particularly important. With the development of society, food packaging safety and sanitation has been paid more and more attention by the world. At present, the United States, the European Union, Japan and other developed countries (regions) in contact with food packaging material made the corresponding regulations and evaluation standard, and implemented the strict market access management, as a new technology of restrictive import trade barriers. In recent years, our country does not conform to the regulations of developed countries food packaging safety and health standards is prohibited, returns, and sales, and so on and so forth, only 1 to October 2005, the European Union to about 54 food packaging safety and hygiene problem in our country, seriously affected our country's food packaging credibility, has a negative impact on expanding food exports. Therefore, it is necessary to import and export the safe quality of import and export food to promote the development of foreign economic and trade.
1. Classification and harm of food packaging materials
During the import and export food inspection process, we are exposed to food packaging materials mainly including plastic products, paper products, metal products, glass container base composite materials, etc. According to the world packaging organization (WPO) to provide information, the global packaging industry turnover has more than $500 billion, its composition is: 32% 32% of paper and cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, packaging machinery, 6% and 5% 24%, other 5%.
1.1 plastic products
Plastic products are made of synthetic resin as the main raw materials, adding appropriate plasticizers, stabilizers, and anti-oxidants, etc., which are processed under certain plasticizing conditions. The commonly used plastics in food packaging are polyethylene (PE), PET (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Main damage: the resin itself is not toxic, but its monomers and degradation products are more toxic. Because of adding some additives in the processing, or illegal use of additives (such as some PVC cling film to join the DEHA plasticizer), and the processing technology and production equipment pallet, or the residual monomer in plastic resin by produce toxic or harmful substances, can cause pollution to food, the threat to human health.
Main toxic substances: benzene is recognized as a carcinogen, but benzene class is a good solvent for resin material, it has strong solubility, volatile speed, the advantages of cheap, so is widely used in resin solvents. It is mainly used in packaging materials for adhesion and solvent of plastic printing ink. Because benzene solvents are not fully volatile during the process of composite and plastic printing, the packaging materials or the production equipment of the container may cause benzene material to remain in the packaging materials. Benzene can be found in foods that are saturated with benzene in food packaging.
Bisphenol A is A chemical that is widely used in plastic food packaging design. Bisphenol A in plastic food packaging design can be incorporated into food after heating. The formaldehyde content of phenolic resin and urea formaldehyde is high, and free formaldehyde in plastic food packaging design can be integrated into food.
1.2 paper products
The main products used for food packaging are straw pulp and cotton pulp.
Main hazards:
Because of the use of pesticides in the planting process, there are pesticide residues in straw and straw, resulting in the contamination of the original paper with pesticide. The paper is recycled paper, and the lead and cadmium polychlorinated biphenyls in ink pigment are still in the pulp. Some bleach is toxic when bleach is bleached with bleach. The original paper or process used for the processing of fluorescent dyes in the paper colorant is not meet the requirements, causing microbial contamination.
Main hazards: lead, arsenic, fluorescent substances, coliform bacteria, pathogenic bacteria.
1.3 metal products
Used in food packaging design of tinplate and aluminum metal materials, on the inner surface of the contact with the food is often a coating, in order to prevent the food acid and protein in the heating process of sulfur on the corrosion of metals. The coating is a kind of thermosetting plastic epoxy resin, perchloroethylene coating, urushiol coating, etc.
Main hazards: evaporation residue, chloroethylene residue, free phenol, free formaldehyde and heavy metal lead in various solvents.
1.4 glass container
The glass containers for food packaging design are made of silica as the main raw materials and are made of high temperature melting. Some of the auxiliary materials added in the production process are more toxic. Using arsenic and antimony as clarifiers, some enterprises add lead elements to increase the gloss of glass packaging materials.
Main hazards: arsenic, antimony, lead and so on.
1.5 composite packaging bag
It is the property of various materials, the film of different materials is made by wet or dry.
Main hazards: the adhesive used in the production process and color ink can produce toxic substances. For example: toluene diammonium, evaporation residue, heavy metal etc.
2. Regulations and requirements of foreign food packaging
All countries have strict requirements on food packaging and a series of regulatory systems to ensure that imported food is not contaminated with packaging materials.
2.1 U.S. regulatory requirements
Chapter 21 of the federal regulations (CFR) strictly defines the packaging of food from section 170 to 186. Materials that are normally in contact with food must comply with FDA regulations and are tested in two ways. Chemical composition: the packaging materials must be clearly identified in the regulations, and the packers must also comply with the requirements of the regulations to deal with the materials. The rules are mainly for materials.
Migration testing: packaging materials need to be tested and tested through complex migration tests and are identified as safe and reliable materials. The migration test is used to measure the level of food residues that are removed from packaging materials. Usually, this method is a must test for new packaging materials.
The U.S. food and drug administration (FDA) also allows companies to submit a "food contact certificate", with this method determining a food contact materials and their use and related data is safe and reliable. Imported food packaging or materials used in food packaging must comply with the FDA's strict testing. It is the food packers' duty to ensure that the packaging material meets FDA regulations.
2.2 eu regulations and requirements
Eu legislation on food contact materials started in the mid 1970 s, the current laws and regulations is the eu a temporary ban on November 13, 2004, the European parliament and council of the European Union regulations on food contact materials (EC) No. 1935/2004, the regulation not only replaces the implementation of directive 80/590 / EEC and 89/109 / EEC, and inherited and developed the previous regulations on content. The implementation of this directive will not only affect China's export to eu food packaging materials, but also affect the export of food exported to Europe by the corresponding packaging materials.
ECNo. 1935/2004 is the eu's latest basic framework for food contact materials and products. Unlike in the past, the framework of the past is dictated by the directive, which requires the conversion of member states, and this time it is issued directly in the form of regulations. This means that member states do not need any transformation and should comply directly and fully. In a sense, its legal force is stronger and more direct.
The regulation of food contact materials and products put forward the general requirement: all food contact materials and products into the eu market, should be manufactured according to good manufacturing practices, these materials and products under normal or foreseeable conditions of use, the composition of its transfer to the amount of food may cause harm to human health, or food composition change can't accept, or sensory characteristics of deterioration of the situation, and the label materials and products, advertising, and should not mislead consumers.
The regulation of active and intelligent materials and products for special requirements: (1) active material and the products can cause food sensory characteristics and composition of change, but only if the change should comply with applicable to food community, if there is no corresponding community rules, the change should comply with the regulations of each member of food. (2) the active and intelligent materials and products of the specific measures of supplementary rules has not passed, consciously adding into the active materials and products and is released into the food or food material in the surrounding environment, the licensing and use shall comply with the community rules apply to food, as well as the provisions of the laws and regulations and its implementation measures. The active materials and products should not lead to changes in food composition or sensory characteristics, such as the loss of food, which may mislead consumers. Smart materials and products should not give information about the state of food that may mislead consumers. The active and intelligent materials and products that are already in contact with food should be fully identified so that consumers can identify them as unedible parts. The active and intelligent materials and products should be fully identified, indicating that the materials and products are active and/or intelligent.
The new regulations provide retroactive requirements for materials in contact with food. New rules and regulations, in order to facilitate production material control, recalls of defective products, consumer information acquisition and Shared responsibility, at all stages shall ensure the traceability of materials and products.
The new rules also put new requirements on labels, which apply to imported products as well. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the domestic aspects.
2.3 Japanese regulations and requirements
Japan's food hygiene act of 1947 mentioned food contact materials. Like a previous rule, Japan's ministry of health, Labor and welfare has issued food packaging standards. At present, the ministry of health of Japan has introduced some regulations for the application of a series of special plastic packaging materials, soft packaging adhesives and resins.
A company called "the Japanese health association of olefins and styrene plastic (JHOSPA)" of industrial society as early as in 1973 for the first time issued that unofficial material using guide, these standards are developed on the basis of this supplement. The JHOSPA guidelines, which deal with food contact materials made from polyolefins and other polymers, have some common ground with FDA regulations in the United States. This guide is not mandatory, but Japanese companies know and follow this guide.
Any individual or company that wants to export packaging materials to Japan must inform Japan's health ministry. In addition, in addition to the above developed countries and regions, many developing countries, such as Brazil and India, are constantly improving and changing food safety regulations.
3. Current situation and problems of food packaging in China
At the beginning of this year, the general administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine (aqsiq) investigated the actual situation of the production and use of imported and exported food packaging containers and packaging materials.
From the survey results, the situation is not optimistic. First, the import and export food packaging containers and packaging materials safety, health quality control is weak; Second, some export food packaging containers, packaging materials production enterprises are small, the process equipment is backward, the management level is not high, the product safety quality cannot be guaranteed. Third, some export food enterprises only pay attention to the safety quality of the food produced, not pay attention to the safe quality of the packaging used, and the food packaging quality of the procurement is not strict; Four is some imported food packaging containers, packaging materials, the safety of the goods specified is not in the trade contract, health indicators, and some even hide the goods actual use, in order to evade the supervision, inspection and quarantine agencies.
At present, although our country's "food hygiene law of food packaging production, management, storage, use and so on has carried on the rules, but in the import and export food packaging containers, packaging material inspection regulation, has not yet formed a complete set of perfect work system. In terms of technical standards, some food packaging safety, hygienic standard aging, cannot effectively adapt to foreign market demand; Some methods of testing methods are not perfect, especially the standard of quick detection methods.
4. Safety control measures for export of food packaging materials in China
As the inspection and quarantine department should forbid the import and export food safety and quality at the same time, and for food packaging material may cause pollution hazard analysis in the product, prevent chemical pollution of food packaging materials.
4.1 strengthen source management to ensure the safe quality of imported and exported packaging materials
In order to import and export food packaging containers and packaging materials production enterprises, implement the regulatory mode of filing management, control the import and export food packaging quality from the source.
4.2 strengthen production supervision to ensure the safe quality of import and export packaging materials
For the export of food packaging containers and packaging materials management, the production enterprises should be seized from the production enterprises to strengthen the quality control of raw materials to ensure that the raw materials used are not toxic and harmless; Strengthen supervision and management of the production process, and guide the enterprise to improve the safety management system according to the requirements of the SN/T1443.1-2004 food safety management system, and fundamentally guarantee the safe quality of export food packaging; We should strengthen the verification and verification of the use of packaging for export food enterprises, and find that the problems should be tested in a timely manner so as to prevent the export of food products that do not meet the security and hygienic requirements.
4.3 strengthen CCP point control to ensure the safe and hygienic quality of imported and exported food
The HACCP system of export food enterprises should be controlled strictly as CCP point. To ensure that the chemicals in the packaging materials do not pollute the product.
