Clondalkin supports bid to eliminate the migration of harmful mineral oil

Clondalkin Flexible Packaging has welcomed the launch of an online petition from FoodWatch to take action to prevent mineral oils affecting food.

Launched last month in Europe, the campaign calls for the introduction of suitable barrier coatings for food packaging to limit the migration of harmful mineral oils into food products.

Mineral oil hydrocarbons derive from printing ink used in newsprint, which is commonly used to make recycled cardboard for food packaging. Some recent studies have linked these mineral oils to the inflammation of internal organs, including the liver, spleen and lymph nodes.

Earlier this year, Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Wentus, based in Hoxter, Germany, announced the development of a new barrier film for dry food products that prevents the migration of potentially harmful mineral oils from the outer packaging into the food.

The multi-layer film can be used as a ‘bag in box’ liner for a wide variety of dry foods, including rice, dry pasta, dry noodles, baby food and cereal products. As well as possessing a high moisture barrier, the WENTOPRO film provides a barrier against mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH).

Christian Claes, business development director at Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Wentus, commented: “We very much welcome this new campaign from FoodWatch. This is an issue that we have worked hard to address and the development of the WENTOPRO-barrier film offers food manufacturers reassurance that their products are protected against the migration of these harmful mineral oils into their food products.”

The German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection recommends, in its latest draft of the German Mineral Oil Ordinance, that migration of MOSH should not exceed 2mg/kg and MOAH levels should be no higher than 0.5mg/kg. The new Clondalkin film offers protection far greater than this, with typical values less than 0.2mg/kg for both.

There are two different variants of the WENTOPRO film: WSL 343040, which protects against MOSH and MOAH and WSL 143031, which offers additional protection against UV photoinitiator exposure, used in curing inks on cardboard and food labels. The migration of these UV photoinitiators into food has also been the subject of recent scientific debate.

Foodwatch is an independent, non-profit organisation that exposes food-industry practices that are not in the interests of consumers.