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

By Missy Smith

Kurt Hudson, general manager of Water Ink Technologies, UV Division, says UV/EB inks are similar to the majority of solvent-based and water-based inks in that all or most of the components in the inks are not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in FDA Title 21 codes. “UV/EB components are newer and fewer than solvent-based and water-based. Inclusion on a GRAS list may come in time for some UV/EB components, but our government works at a different pace than an industry created by a different set of priorities,” he explains.