On the 4th May 2011 at the European Parliament, the International Confederation of paper and board Converters in Europe (CITPA) and the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) ,presented the voluntary ‘Industry Guideline for the Compliance of Paper & Board Materials and Articles for Food Contact’.
The event was hosted by MEP Ms. Pilar Ayuso (EPP-DE), member of the Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee who said it was important to know what the industry has done in the field of food safety.
The Guideline, which has been peer reviewed by PIRA International, refers to those aspects of quality assurance which are of most significance to ensure that paper and board meets the quality standards appropriate to their intended use in food contact. “Safety of food is a pre-eminent concern, the paper and board manufacturing and converting sector recognises this concern and gives top priority to the safety of the materials and articles it manufactures and supplies” said John Swift, Chair of the Cross Industry Group responsible for the drafting of the Industry Guideline. He added that “for the first time, all the components needed to facilitate compliance with EU legislation were included in one text”.
A challenge in demonstrating the commitment to supplying safe products is to demonstrate compliance with relevant legislation. The sector has cooperated at National Government and EU level for many years, and the Industry Guideline proposes a route for compliance with EC regulation 1935/2004, which covers all materials which come in direct contact with food.
The lack of a specific measure for paper and board has created a disadvantage in the market because paper and board materials appear to be “unregulated”. So, “if the European Commission decides to start drafting a specific measure for paper and board materials, we have the ground prepared to do so” said Mr. Bengt Nordin, CITPA President, in his closing remarks. Mr Nordin also presented the benefits of the Industry and pointed out the challenge of demonstrating the safety of paper and board. Mr Nordin said to be proud to announce that “the industry is monitoring the implementation of the Industry Guideline and so far, the results have shown a large acceptance within paper and board companies”.