Dual Use Additives

Migration Risk

Calculating the transfer of these chemicals from the cardboard to the foodstuff protects the consumer from exceeding the dietary limits set by food safety authorities. If a substance like calcium carbonate is used as a pigment in paperboard and also as a food firming agent, its migration must not cause the food to exceed maximum legal levels. This requires converters to know the exact formulation of their barrier coatings.

Precise lab testing ensures that migration remains within safe boundaries.

Compliance Documentation

Documentation along the supply chain provides the primary means of ensuring compliance for these chemical agents. Every paperboard mill must declare the presence of these additives to the packaging converter, who in turn informs the food brand owner. Without this clear declaration, a food packager cannot accurately determine the cumulative concentration of the additive in their final product.

The challenge lies in tracking substances that might be present in trace amounts but still fall under the dual-use definition. This declarations chain is mandatory for any packaging destined for the European food market.