Food safety matters—don't overlook packaging materials.

“ Food is the most important thing for the people; safety comes first when it comes to food. “Food safety has always been a nationwide concern. Beyond the food itself, packaging materials—since they come into direct contact with food—can significantly impact food safety, making food packaging testing an area that cannot be overlooked.”

What are food packaging materials?

The proper term for food packaging materials is "food contact materials and their products," which also includes composite materials and their products, as well as laminated materials and their products.

Food contact materials and products refer to any materials or articles—whether currently in use or expected to come into contact with food or food additives (hereinafter referred to as "food"), or whose components may migrate into food—during the normal course of food production, processing, packaging, transportation, storage, distribution, and consumption. This includes packaging materials, containers, tools, and equipment used for food throughout these processes, as well as inks, adhesives, lubricants, and other substances that may directly or indirectly touch food. However, this definition excludes detergents, disinfectants, and public water supply systems.

Composite materials and products made by combining two or more layers of food-contact materials—whether composed of different materials or identical ones—through bonding, thermal fusion, or other methods.

Composite materials and products are food-contact materials and articles assembled, welded, inlaid, or otherwise combined from two or more different materials—or even from identical materials.

Therefore, conducting necessary food packaging tests is crucial for ensuring food safety.

The Role of Food Packaging Materials

Food packaging materials are essentially the food’s close-fitting outer layer—they not only effectively shield food from external factors like microbial contamination, chemical pollution, and oxidation, ensuring the safety and quality of food during storage and transportation, but also make food packaging testing a top priority. To some extent, these materials extend the product’s shelf life, while their attractive, eye-catching designs enhance the product’s visual appeal, boosting its promotional value and ultimately sparking consumers’ desire to buy.

The Necessity of Testing Food Packaging Materials

High-quality packaging materials help ensure food is properly preserved, while inferior ones can negatively impact food quality. With rapid advancements in technology, the variety and quantity of food packaging materials continue to grow—though this trend has, to some extent, introduced potential safety risks. During contact with food, harmful substances from many packaging materials may migrate into the product, inadvertently turning them into indirect food additives that directly affect consumers' dietary safety and health. Therefore, to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of both businesses and consumers, food packaging materials must undergo rigorous testing to verify their safety before being approved for use.

What exactly do food packaging testing projects include?

The main hygiene properties of food packaging materials include: evaporation residue, potassium permanganate consumption, heavy metals, and decolorization tests, among others.

Evaporation Residue: Evaporation residue refers to the potential for food packaging materials to release residues when exposed to liquids such as vinegar, alcohol, or oil during use. These residues can negatively impact human health, and they may also directly affect the food's color, aroma, taste, and overall sensory quality.

Potassium permanganate consumption: Potassium permanganate consumption refers to the total amount of substances that migrate from food packaging materials into aqueous food simulants under specific conditions and can be oxidized by potassium permanganate. These substances primarily consist of small-molecule organic compounds, some of which may remain in the body for extended periods after entering it, disrupting normal metabolic processes and potentially posing risks to overall health.

Heavy metals: The effects of heavy metals on the human body are often subtle and develop over a long period, making them difficult to detect. Yet, these elements pose significant potential risks. Once they enter the body, it becomes extremely challenging for the body to eliminate them through natural metabolic processes. Moreover, heavy metal elements can accumulate in living organisms via the food chain, leading to bioaccumulation that amplifies their concentration by as much as tens of millions of times—ultimately causing severe harm to human health.

Decolorization Test: The decolorization test primarily evaluates how food packaging materials behave in terms of color release during actual use. Products that fail this test may cause the added pigments to migrate into the food, and these pigments could contain toxic heavy metals and other harmful substances that pose serious risks to human health.