Food safety regulation for carton ink

Hello,

May I ask you some questions about the ink outside the carton?

Our product is plastic bottle, the bottles are put into the carton box directly.

The carton is considered as secondary packaging?

I don’t think we need ‘food grade ink’, since the ink is not direct contact to the bottle.

Is there any regulation about the ink outside the carton?

I would be grateful if you could give me some advice.

Thanks,

Nathan

Yep, we call that secondary packaging.  I can't imagine any need for food grade inks related to secondary packaging.

hi, 

Yes, secondary ;) just in case this pdf is very helpful :) 

As long as your packaging serves as a barrier against migration, the inks and adhesives used on the exterior and secondary packaging don't need to be food grade.

Thanks for your kind answers.

I have another question about the coating inside the carton.

We plan to add a layer of coating inside the carton, and put the bottles in the carton without polybag.

Does the coating have to be food grade?

I would say no, nothing about your outer carton needs to be food grade.  Your product is contained inside a sealed bottle, and whatever surface you place the sealed bottle upon or into doesn't need to be food grade after that bottling step.

But sounds like you're getting to an expensive outer carton at this point.  Out of pure curiosity, why the extra step for a coated interior of the box?

The bottle is closed with lid, but there is valve inside of  the lid.  

We are concerned whether the chemical of coating can migrate to the valve.

Currently, we pack the bottles with polybag and then put them into the carton. 

The owner wants to remove the polybag, but concerned about the scratching issue during shipment.

The carton supplier suggests adding a layer of coating to prevent the scratching issue. 

I would say no, nothing about your outer carton needs to be food grade.  Your product is contained inside a sealed bottle, and whatever surface you place the sealed bottle upon or into doesn't need to be food grade after that bottling step.

 

But sounds like you're getting to an expensive outer carton at this point.  Out of pure curiosity, why the extra step for a coated interior of the box?

Food grade ink is required for primary packaging material.