Hyderabad: While the European Union has strict norms on ink used for packing of food to prevent health hazard, India, in comparison, has norms that are voluntary. With the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) initiating talks to implement stricter norms, Siegwerk, which produces ink for the flexible packing industry, on Monday, urged regulators to include toluene-based ink in the list of banned substances.
The company, which has shunned Toluene-based inks from its portfolio, hopes that the chemical — a health risk — should be included among the list of banned substances.
Siegwerk India CEO Ashish Pradhan said, “Over the past decade, the EU has strengthened its norms on food packaging after scandals emerged that toluene-based ink used in packaged foods migrate past to contaminate the food. Although India already a standard in place on packaged foods, it’s voluntary.”
“Even a country like Sri Lanka has made a stand against such ink. However, about 90 per cent of the market in India is still using toluene-based inks," he added.
When asked about possible substitutes and its impact, Mr Pradhan said, “There are alternatives already available that are on par in cost or slightly on the higher side. Companies in the EU have switched to alternatives. There would hardly need to upgrade their machineries as non-toluene-based inks can be used in the same machines.”
Mr Pradhan, however, admitted that by switching to non-toluene based ink, the company will lose out on nearly 85 per cent of the market.
