Chemical Recommendation
Regulatory food contact evaluations specify allowable chemical additives, optical brighteners, sizing agents, and biocides permitted in paper packaging substrates intended for direct food contact. European packaging converters follow bfr xxxvi paper safety guidelines to ensure virgin and recycled paperboard grades do not transfer harmful substances into dry, aqueous, acidic, or fatty foodstuffs. Compliance requires strict limits on extractable heavy metals, formaldehyde residue, and synthetic sizing agents.
Migration Limit
Paper mills select raw materials, wet-end chemicals, and surface coatings from approved substance lists established by risk assessment authorities. Laboratory testing measures cold water extraction values, hot water extraction yields, and organic solvent migration rates from finished paperboard sheets. Recycled fibre pulps intended for food packaging undergo extended solvent extraction to verify that residual printing inks and adhesive components stay below hazardous thresholds.
Production lines monitor chemical dosing rates continuously to prevent excessive retention of wet-strength resins or antimicrobial agents in the paper web. Formulators adjust starch additions and synthetic binder formulations whenever extraction tests detect chemical migration approaching regulatory thresholds. Paper mills issue compliance declarations detailing tested extraction limits and permitted food contact categories for every production lot.
Substrate Threshold
Material standards apply solely to paperboard grades intended for direct contact with food or human mucosa. Non-compliant test results under bfr xxxvi paper safety mandate immediate rejection of paperboard rolls intended for food packaging converting operations.
