Safe alternative seals

Things are on the move – wrote Stiftung Warentest in a test report on packaging residue in 2005. That same year, n-tv and Bild reported on jars of baby food tested in which residue of lid seals had been found. This is an issue which has been around for quite some time and is repeatedly the subject of investigations. For example, tests carried out by Ökotest 2004, 2008, 2013 and currently in the yearbook for 2017.

Focus is generally directed toward possible pollutants which do not invariably migrate from packaging to food, but which arise through heating too excessively and fast. And not only pollutants are investigated: a spotlight is also being shone on the grandiose promises made by manufacturers, which do not apply.

Baby food and particularly sensitive contents or food for people who are particularly prone to illness are scrutinized particularly often. And everyone knows that devaluations can be fatal for a company.

It's time to start thinking about harmless lids – or their seals – and actually put such thoughts into practice.

On the safe side that’s where manufacturers of baby food and fillers of sensitive contents into P/T-jars are who rely on an alternative which dispenses entirely with PVC and all plasticizers which are regarded as harmful or which have not been sufficiently tested. Just like Actega DS offers in the form of PROVALIN® 1771 and 1741.

After all, many manufacturers using ESBO for lid seals can point out the fact that it is an EU-approved material for limit values of 30 mg per kg food. But according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, a conclusive health risk evaluation is not possible for ESBO on account of the lack of investigative data.

With PROVALIN® 1771 and 1741, solutions which satisfy both EU and FDA stipulations have been found for the highly-sensitive area of baby food and for particularly sensitive contents. Actega DS has been collaborating with various seal manufacturers on the Press Twist (P/T) seal project since 2009. The new PROVALIN® variants can be used for all contents which are heat-treated. Extensive tests, including in terms of processing, storage, vacuum retention, opening properties and migration, are available with outstanding results. Long-term tests confirming this positive development are to follow. In Asia, PVC-free P/T seals are already commercial with South Korea as the first market. In Europe, extensive conversion to PVC-free will take place over the next few months.

Actega DS will be presenting at Interpack in Düsseldorf, May 4-10, 2017, innovations in the areas of packaging and sealing compounds at Stand 11A12 in Hall 11 and at Fakuma in Friedrichshafen, October 17-21, innovations in the area of TPE materials for medical and pharmaceutical applications as well as consumer goods at Stand B5-5210 in Hall B5.