The regulatory requirements for food packaging safety in Europe are some of the strictest in the world. With the approaching Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), sustainability is also becoming increasingly important, requiring companies to ensure that almost all packaging can be recycled at scale by 2030.
Metsä Spring’s new fiber-based Muoto packaging is designed to meet current and upcoming food contact material safety and recyclability requirements. It is also highly functional, being moldable into various shapes for a range of applications. Such a high level of moldability is more commonly associated with plastic packaging, for which Muoto offers a more sustainable alternative.
Measurlabs’ expertise played an important role in ensuring Muoto material's food contact suitability and biodegradability under industrial composting conditions. From a compliance perspective, everything is set for a full-scale launch of the novel packaging solution.
Overcoming the challenges of testing novel fiber-based materials
Assessing the safety and compliance of food contact materials (FCMs) is generally most straightforward with common plastic materials, such as PET and PP, as the compositional requirements and migration limits are clearly defined in harmonized EU legislation. As there is no harmonized legislation for fiber-based materials, compliance assessments must be based on other safety references, such as the national regulations of member states.
“Generally, one sufficiently comprehensive reference, such as German BfR Recommendation XXXVI, is enough to ensure fiber-based materials are safe for use in food packaging. However, in Muoto’s case, Metsä Spring wanted to have the material tested against other national requirements and their own risk assessment principles as well,” explains Measurlabs’ Food Contact Material Testing Expert Niko Markkinen.
The testing plan was formulated based on the Muoto material’s chemical composition and intended applications as a fruit and vegetable tray and takeaway container. Due to the uniqueness of the product, choosing the most appropriate migration testing conditions and food simulants took more time and effort than in most FCM compliance testing projects. Coordination between Metsä Spring’s product safety team and Measurlab’s experts was key to ensuring a successful result.
"Niko was highly helpful in finding the right analyses to ensure our product’s compliance. He did thorough research and took the time to clarify complex matters in an easily understandable way. The level of customer service was fantastic,” recalls Sari Saavalainen, Manager, R&D and Product Safety at Metsä Spring.
Going beyond food contact material compliance
In addition to providing the necessary tests to show Muoto’s compliance with food contact material regulations, Measurlabs helped Metsä Spring demonstrate the material’s biodegradation in industrial composting conditions.
“When we tested Muoto according to the ISO 14855 standard for ultimate aerobic biodegradation in industrial compost, we found the material to exceed the required 90 % biodegradation within 6 months,” says Ville Roininen, Measurlabs’ Organic Materials Testing Expert.
Metsä Spring’s Saavalainen appreciated Measurlabs’ experts’ clear and frequent communication throughout both testing projects.
“We had several meetings with Measurlabs’ team to ensure that we were on the same page regarding testing conditions and protocols. Their experts also kept us proactively informed on the progress of each test, allowing us to plan the next steps in Muoto’s journey to market,” Saavalainen concludes.