Migration risks
Migration describes the transfer of a substance from the packaging into the food. One potential migration risk in food packaging is printing inks. These compounds may have been incorporated either intentionally (IAS = intentionally added substances) or unintentionally (NIAS = non-intentionally added substances). NIAS in the ink, for example, may originate from former production steps of the ink raw materials or can be reaction products of ink components, e.g. during crosslinking or curing of the inks. NIAS may also be caused by a reaction with other packaging components or can result from cross-contamination during the production or application of the ink.
Whether a substance is a NIAS or IAS, however, depends on each company’s perspective within the packaging value chain. For example, a substance that our raw material supplier has added intentionally might be a NIAS from our perspective as ink manufacturer. At Siegwerk, we do not make any distinction between IAS and NIAS because what counts in terms of consumer safety is that for each migratable substance a risk assessment is performed.
Click through our interactive animation and learn more about different types of migration, migrations risks, permeability, barriers and still more topics. In case you should have any questions, we are glad to help you!