New Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice for cartons packaging food

The new ECMA (European Carton Makers Association) Guide was launched on 15th September and is relevant to all companies which manufacture cartons intended to come into contact with food. It describes best practice to safeguard consumer health and safety, covering cartons used in dry, fatty and frozen food categories.

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines are not prescriptive rules on how to manufacture products, but a series of principles that must be observed during the manufacturing process.

This ECMA GMP is an information and management tool focusing on the design, development and specification stages of the manufacturing process and works together with existing Quality Management systems such as ISO 9001 and hygienic control systems such as ISO 22000. Its purpose is to ensure compliance with two key EU Regulations on food contact: Food Contact Framework Regulation (EC 1935/2004) and the Good Manufacturing Regulation (EC 2023/2006).


The Guide provides practical advice and information to enable printers and carton converters to prevent health hazards that may result from: migration of components of the packaging material into the packaged food, unacceptable changes in the composition of the food and unacceptable changes in the taste and odour characteristics of the food. It provides detailed guidance on inks and varnishes and types and sources of migration. All kinds of contamination from inks or varnishes, substrates, the printing process and the environment are taken into account.

ECMA Compliance Seal

Companies fulfilling the standards set out in the Guide can confirm their self declared compliance with the ECMA GMP. A carton plant which issues such a self declared and voluntary compliance statement for the manufacturing of food cartons is then allowed to use the ECMA GMP self declared compliance seal. ECMA plans to publish a list of companies which have issued a compliance statement, on its website, to reinforce its commitment to promoting the highest standards for carton packaging production for food.

Source: ProCarton

The ECMA Good Manufacturing Practice Guide can be downloaded from the ECMA website or here.


www.ecma.org