ISO 22000 in production of paper and board packaging

Good afternoon.

Will someone help me?

I am implementing an ISO 22000 in a factory of packaging paper and board (off set priting) and am having difficulty in identifying microbial and chemical hazards.
Makes sense to make microbiological analysis on the card? or the handlers?
And about migrations? it is possible to occur in cardboard?

What is the acceptable level of hazards in the final product?

Has anyone ever worked in/with a paper and board packaging, that you can help me?

Thank you
Best regards.

André

Andre you omitted to tell us a few important details.

1. What is your board used to package; direct food contact or not?
2. What is your printing process UV /solvent / water?
3. How much manual handling of product?
4. What are your raw materials; virgin, recycled, a mixture? If recycled what is the source?

I think if you can give some more detail then answers will be more productive.

Regards,
Simon

Hello Mr. Simon,

I've been searching the internet for topics related to FSMS and found and join this interesting and informative site of yours.

We are in the process of implementing ISO 22000 into our system as a further compliance to the requirements of our customers and regulating bodies. Our company is engage in the supply of board packaging to dairy and beverage industries.

With regards to the details that you ask Andre, please find below ours:

1. We supply primary board packaging (direct food contact)
2. We are utilizing two modes of printing process: Flexo using solvent ink and Offset using oil-based inks.
3. Mostly, stacking of blanks from printing and feeding into the sealing machines are handled manually.
4. Board are made from virgin fibers (classified as milkboard), coated with PE from both side.

At present, we do have HACCP, 9001 and 18001 certifications.

Can you advise which system are we going to incorporate the FSMS with? We have a tight deadline to be certified at the end of the year.

Thank you and looking forward for your reply

Best regards,

Dan

Hi all,
I had just completed an internal audit training referenced to YUM and Havi-Perseco (McDonalds) requirements for packaging suppliers two weeks ago.

IMO, it would be difficult to have a HACCP Plan to control microbial unless you have a specific "process kill step". Often, this is managed through agreed supply assurance programmes while controls over personnel and other process management hygiene are managed through appropriate PRPs.

I would be concern about heavy metal migration from printed ink including control of filters if you are applying compressed air in key processes, a HACCP Plan is possible here.

There are many other risk assessment possibilities as it depends on the dynamic nature of the process environment specific e.g. paper board as highlighted by Simon. So really there is no silver bullet to all these. But if you already have existing system, it should all be integrated under 1 system.

Dan are you and Andre on the same project?
I'm a little confused as Andre mentions ISO 22000, yet you ask which FSMS you should use; that's an entirely different question.

Please confirm. And if you do want an answer to your question let us know in which country you are located and the countries your customers are based.

Thanks,
Simon

Good judge Dr Simon, any way i agreed with Charles as all the control points can be managed through PRP, as there is no any "process kill step" and we cannot use any antimicrobial agents onto direct food contact papers.
Regards,
Youssef

Hi Mr Simon,

Sorry for the confusion and the different point that I may have raised.
Actually, the company that I'm working with now is in the preparation stage for ISO 22000 certification and we normally call it as FSMS, sorry for the wrong interpretation if thats the case. I refer to the points of Andre since we have the same product which is paperboard packaging, the only difference maybe is that we utilize milkboard (virgin fibers) and Flexo printing in almost 95% of our operation and 5% Offset printing.

I am working here in Saudi Arabia and most of our customers are from North African countries. One of our major customer have insisted during their that the paper dust will be part of our PRP and the paper trim from rotary cutter as a CCP. Are their points okay and is it possible that there is no tolerance for CCP? We ask for the allowed size of trim that can be tolerated since we know that it is part of our operation to generate those. Also, what kind of certificates are we going to ask from our solvent suppliers? Do we need to ask food compliance certificates from our secondary packaging materials suppliers?

I am looking forward for your answer to enlighten us more about ISO 22000.


Thank you and best regards,
Dan

No problem I'm easily confused. I answered below on a recent related topic...

1. Micro testing

It is good practice to have a rolling microbiological audit plan in place covering.

Settle plates for TVC, Yeasts and moulds
Swabs of product, work surfaces and peoples hands for listeria, Staphs, salmonella, enteros and e-coli.

Your competent contractor should be able to put alert/action limits to the range of testing and provide a report of the conclusions in layman’s terms for you... I would add an extra part to the report for corrective action taken, date and sign off etc. The results will validate you GMP procedures or will point you to where you need more attention. Customers like to see this even though BRC does not specify micro testing. FDA IMS approval does and monthly product samples need to be tested. I think this is over the top and have always operated the audit on a quarterly basis.

2. Food Contact Compliance

Food contact approval - chemical migration and heavy metal testing - responsibility of supplier of raw material
Ink migration – testing for ink migration through printed packaging and transfer from front to back in winding / stacking – responsibility of converter

Again the above should be completed by a competent contractor.

Oh and yes you need to ask food compliance certificates (or at least specification with materials / coatings) from your secondary packaging materials suppliers?

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Simon

One of our major customer have insisted during their that the paper dust will be part of our PRP and the paper trim from rotary cutter as a CCP

I agree with your customer that the control of paper trimmings at the final stage of your process should be managed under a suitable HACCP Plan. Paper dust is generally controlled through suitable PRP(s).

Andre you omitted to tell us a few important details.

1. What is your board used to package; direct food contact or not?
2. What is your printing process UV /solvent / water?
3. How much manual handling of product?
4. What are your raw materials; virgin, recycled, a mixture? If recycled what is the source?

I think if you can give some more detail then answers will be more productive.

Regards,
Simon

Dear all,

Thank you for all of yours explanations.

First i want to responde to the first asking details:


1. What is your board used to package; direct food contact or not?

More than 95% are 2ªpackaging. Only 2 kind of products are to be in food direct contact: bakery and pastry products (ex.: Birthday cakes) and covers to barbecue products( this one are coated with PE).


2. What is your printing process UV /solvent / water?

Off-set priting with solvents.


3. How much manual handling of product?

only to put and pull off the machinery/equipment.

4. What are your raw materials; virgin, recycled, a mixture? If recycled what is the source?

We received most recycled raw materials. We have suppliers certificates with the complaince of heavy metals limits.


With your responses i had my mind more clear.


Thank you.
Obrigado.

André

Dear Danny,

nd the paper trim from rotary cutter as a CCP

Packaging not my area but I find it difficult to visualise the health risk from paper trimmings ? Cut the finger ??

Appreciate to be edified.

Rgds / Charles.C

Hello,

For the microbiological analysis, is there any guidance documento, about what limits should exists?

Settle plates for TVC, Yeasts and moulds
Swabs of product, work surfaces and peoples hands for listeria, Staphs, salmonella, enteros and e-coli.


Thank you

André

Hello,

For the microbiological analysis, is there any guidance documento, about what limits should exists?

Settle plates for TVC, Yeasts and moulds
Swabs of product, work surfaces and peoples hands for listeria, Staphs, salmonella, enteros and e-coli.


Thank you

André

Can anyone help Andre with this?