UV/EB inks seem to do it all, but will they ever become FDA-approved for direct food packaging?

By Missy Smith

“The FDA-compliance issue is two-fold: concern for very small migrations of ink components through the packaging material and into contact with the food/pharmaceutical product and subsequently altering the taste of the product. More importantly, the major concern is these small particulates becoming a health risk,” explains Robert Waddington, general manager, UVitec. He says the inks that are FDA-compliant for direct contact with food are water-based and are “manufactured with relatively benign components.”