Clondalkin Flexible Packaging has backed an online petition by non-profit organization FoodWatch to take necessary steps to limit the migration of mineral oils into food products.
The petition, which was launched last month in Europe, calls for the introduction of suitable barrier coatings that will stop the entry of potentially harmful mineral oils from the outer packaging into food.
Mineral oil hydrocarbons come from printing ink used in newsprint that is commonly used in manufacturing recycled cardboard for food packaging.
A few recent studies have linked these mineral oils to the inflammation of internal organs, like the liver, spleen and lymph nodes.
Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Wentus business development director Christian Claes said: "We very much welcome this new campaign from FoodWatch.
"This is an issue that we have worked hard to address and the development of the Wentopro-barrier film offers food manufacturers reassurance that their products are protected against the migration of these harmful mineral oils into their food products."
Earlier this year Clondalkin developed a new multi-layer barrier film that can be used as a 'bag in box' liner for a wide variety of dry foods, including rice, dry pasta, dry noodles, baby food and cereal products.
The film acts as a barrier against mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) and claims to offer a high barrier against water vapour.
Clondalkin said that Wentopro is available in two types including WSL 343040, which protects against MOSH and MOAH and WSL 143031, which offers additional protection against UV photoinitiator exposure, used in curing inks on cardboard and food labels.
