Chesapeake Bristrol Moves to Ultra-Low Migration-Only Ink Food Labels

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Chesapeake in Bristol, U.K., reports that it is the first self-adhesive label manufacturer in the U.K. to introduce an ultra-low migration (ULM) ink system as standard for all of its customers. The move to ULM-only ink follows extensive trials and rigorous testing procedures. The Bristol operation is Chesapeake's lead label site in the U.K. for food labeling and this initiative offers customers further reassurance that they are using one of the latest and safest inks available.

Andy Walter, Bristol's managing director, said that "we were previously using low-migration inks but we wanted to fully move to an ultra-low migration ink system as soon as we had completed and validated the test results. As part of this process, we've changed our ink stocks, conducted trials, and completed profiling tests. For us, this move to an improved lower migration ink system was an easy decision."

The migration into food products of some chemicals from certain types of packaging ink was first highlighted several years ago. As a result, there have been a number of major changes to ink formulations as well as to the type of packaging substrates specified for certain food products.

Chesapeake's Group Packaging & Safety Compliance Officer Elaine Murray said that "the inks have been independently tested on paper and filmic substrates and only minute trace levels of migrating photo-initiators were found. These have a higher propensity to migrate through primary packaging into some food types. Testing had been conducted in accordance with the guidelines set out in the BPIF Labels GMP. These have been specifically developed for the printing of labels and related packaging for the food and drinks markets. The adoption of this new ink ULM system provides an extra layer of security for our customers."

Walter concluded that "the new inks are performing well and the initial reaction from customers has been very encouraging. We're keen to demonstrate to both existing and new customers the benefits this new system has to offer."

This initiative complements a similar move by 10 of Chesapeake's carton production sites that have recently declared compliance with ECMA's GMP for food packaging production.

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