24.1 Introduction
The pulp, paper and board industry supplies basic raw materials for packaging
and hygiene applications. The total output of paper and paperboard in 2002 was
approximately 90 million tonnes in Europe, which is one-third of 2002's world
production. Fibre-based food contact materials produced were about 10 million
tonnes, which is about 11% of the world production.
Packaging serves as a major defence against external hazards. However,
undesirable interactions between packaging material and food can give rise to
potential problems, e.g. migration of packaging components or penetration of
microorganisms, insects and rodents through packages. The importance of
hygiene in the paper and packaging industry has increased considerably as a
result of more specific demands in legislation, tighter international competition
and increasing customer requirements. This chapter will concentrate on
clarifying potential microbiological and hygienic risks related to packaging
materials and especially on how the extremely high hygienic level of food
packaging materials is achieved in the paper and packaging industry.
Traditionally paper and packaging manufacturers have not necessarily
considered safety and hygiene requirements as such an important factor as is
considered in the food industry, but as more emphasis is placed on food safety
and hygiene, an awareness of the critical role of packaging is increasing among
the paper and packaging manufacturers. Manufacturers of packaging materials
for food have become increasingly conscious of customer demands relating to
concerns of food safety. As important raw material suppliers for the food
industry, manufacturers of packaging materials are expected to bring their
standard hygiene in line with the expectations of the food industry.
24 Managing contaminationrisksfromfoodpackagingmaterials
L. Raaska, VTT Biotechnology, Finland