Food packaging is an integral part of food products. One of the major engineering processes in the food industry. It protects food and prevents the damage of biological, chemical and physical external factors in the process of food circulation from factories to consumers. It also has the function of maintaining the stable quality of food itself. It is convenient for food consumption, and it is the first to show the appearance of food and attract the image of consumption. It has the value beyond the material cost. Therefore, food packaging process is an integral part of food manufacturing system engineering. However, the universality of food packaging process makes it have a relatively independent self-system.
European Union (EC) technical regulations on food packaging
76 / 211 / EEC Council Directive on the harmonization of the laws of Member States for prepackaged products of a defined weight or capacity. The directive is a practical and widely covered technical regulation. According to a certain weight or capacity, the quantity indicated in a package or label. The range is not less than 5g or 5ml, not more than 10kg or 10L. The actual quantity allows error, but there is a limit. Safeguarding the interests of consumers belongs to the category of basic requirements. It is logical that the quality and quantity of products should be regulated directly by the directive.
90 / 496 / EEC and 2003 / 120 / EC Council Directives on food nutrition labelling. The Council Directive on food nutrition labeling and the amendment on 90 / 496 / EEC food nutrition label are the basic requirements for nutritious food. Standardized labeling is the first condition for products to enter the EU market. For general food labeling, see Chapter 5.
Council Directives 89 / 109 / EEC, 2002 / 72 / EC on packaging materials in contact with food. The main concern of packaging materials in contact with food is plastic, followed by paper. In the European Union, glass and metal are considered inert (actually technically mature). There are a lot of relevant laws and regulations of EU on export packaging materials in contact with food.
89 / 109 / EEC puts forward the general requirements, among which there are two specific transfer types, and the allowable transmission limit is 60mg / 1kg (60mg of any substance, 1kg of food). The promulgation of 2002 / 72 / EC completely replaced 90 / 128 / EEC and seven amendments, and revised 2002 / 17 / EC. The dimension of transfer was different from that of 89 / 109 / EEC, and special attention was paid to the materials compounded with thin films. The allowable transmission limit was 10mg / DM2 (any substance of 10mg, packaging material of 1dm2). The test method is specified in 82 / 711 / EEC. There is no specific transfer amount for PVC in EU law, but 78 / 142 / EEC stipulates that the allowable amount of vinyl chloride monomer in food packaging material is 0.701mg/kg, and 80 / 766 / EEC specifies the detection method.
Technical regulations on food packaging in the United States

The model legislation. In October 2004, the U.S. officially announced the revised Publication Act "toxics in packaging", which holds the same view as the European community, and provides the same technical indicators as EU 94 / 62 / EC and its amendment 2004 / 12 / EC, and puts forward special provisions. In view of its importance, the excerpts are as follows:

Article 2 this act considers and declares that: the treatment of solid waste may cause a wide range of public health, safety and environmental hazards; packaging (waste) accounts for a large proportion of all solid waste logistics; when packaging waste is incinerated, a part of the heavy metals contained in the packaging is likely to disperse or remain in the waste residue with the fly ash during incineration, and then the waste residue will form seepage in the landfill site Filtration; the special attention paid to lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium is based on existing scientific and medical theories; in terms of reducing the harm of packaging waste, the removal of heavy metals added to packaging is the first desirable measure; the objective of this act is to reduce the harm without hindering or preventing the widespread use of recycled materials in packaging and ancillary products.
Article 4 the delay time and corresponding total amount of ban; the total concentration of lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium in any packaging or packaging auxiliary materials shall not exceed the following provisions: less than 0.06% (0.6g / kg) of the weight after two years of the entry into force of this act; less than 0.025% (0.25g/kg) of the weight three years after the entry into force of this act; and 0.01% (0.1g / kg) of the weight after four years of the entry into force of this act.
Article 5 for glass or ceramic packaging or packaging components in the form of glass, when the sample is expected to be tested in accordance with ASTM c1606-04 and EPA toxicity filtration procedure and the test method for evaluating solid waste published in sw846 3rd Edition, the content of cadmium shall not exceed one part per million (1ms / Ks), and the content of hexavalent chromium shall not exceed five parts per million (5mg / kg), The content of lead does not exceed 5 parts per million (5mg / kg). Mercury shall not be present in this regulation.
Food and Drug Administration's advance notice on food contact substances: introduction to toxicology
According to the regulations on associated packaging in Volume 21 of the federal regulations of the United States of America, food must be packaged in accordance with hygienic requirements; the production of food packaging materials must be in accordance with good management practices (GMP); packaging materials in contact with food and their components must meet the requirements.
The first two articles above stipulate that the manufacturer must pass the relevant certification. For packaging materials in contact with food, the U.S. regulations consider that the migration of active substances from food packaging materials to food is an important reason for food insecurity, so this kind of active migration substances are defined as indirect food additives. Parts 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 21 F.C CFR.Part 174.175.176.177.178). In the United States, food packaging materials are mainly managed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and meat and poultry are handled by the United States Department of agriculture (USDA).
For Chinese enterprises, the first two items are relatively easy to achieve. As long as they meet their requirements (including the certification requirements of enterprises) and apply according to the procedures stipulated by FDA or USDA, they may be approved. When the food packaging materials used are beyond the scope allowed by the first two provisions, the problem is more complicated, to be exact, great efforts should be made. An FDA document included in this regulation is a typical guidance for solving the above problems. The document specifies how to complete a key form registered with FDA.