Food packaging and food contact materials are an important element in the overall effort to provide consumers worldwide with safe and nutritious food. Chemical compounds that are incorporated in printing ink ,laminating adhesives and polymeric packaging materials to improve functionality, may interact with food components during processing or storage and migrate into the food. Once these compounds reach a specified limit, food quality and safety may be jeopardized. Migration limits have been set for many substances based on the toxicological risk assessment of these substances. These limits are included in Food Contact regulations with the aim to control the exposure to these substances to protect our health. It is a mandatory requirement for consumers to determine impact of packaging in contact with food on food safety. However, Printing ink and packaging manufacturers must be prepared to deal with a complex global regulatory landscape, in which individual jurisdictions have adopted different regulatory frameworks for the review and approval of food packaging and food contact materials and issue compliance declaration. The Glocal and Global regulations of Printing Inks on Food Contact Materials are not fully harmonized. It varies region to region or country to country even customer to customer. The approval process can be further complicated by customer procurement requirements based on voluntary standards promulgated by industry and trade groups, as well as by the specific substances used in printing ink and packaging materials.
This review provides a comprehensive overview on harmonization of new food packaging regulations in India with global regulations along with difficulties of compliance declarations (DoC).
Dr. Pinaki Ranjan Samanta , a passionate and motivated R&D and regulatory affairs professionals having nearly three decades (twenty seven years) of experience in the areas associated to industrial Research of coating and synthesis. A result-driven analytical scientist with credible experience of entire innovation process by reverse Engineering using all the state-of-the art Analytical tools including mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS, LC-MS), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and chromatography.
Dr. Pinaki, received M. Sc and Ph. D in the field of Organic Chemistry with polymer science as specialization, also completed PG Diploma in Paint Technology.
Dr. Pinaki, has completed at least 35 different types of sponsored or In-house projects in different organizations. He has published more than 18 papers in national and International Journals or magazine also having two patents in his cap in the field of High performance coatings. Since from the early of nineties he is an accomplished analytical chemist with acquired experience in setting up state-of-the-art analytical laboratory for a multi-national company, supporting their entire business of packaging and coating related materials, as R&D leader.
Dr. Pinaki background includes tenures at reputed organizations like UK Paints, Shriram Institute for Industrial Research, Moser Baer and Uflex as a Research and Development, Quality Control and Regulatory Affairs personnel.
Dr. Pinaki has received “Best Technical Innovation Award” in the year 2012-2013 at MBIL and adjudged “Key resource people” for the span of 2010 to 2013.