New National Paper Cup Standard Bars Alcohol; Zhengzhou Tests Find Printing Gaps Non-Compliant

Industry Brief

Effective June 1, three recommended national standards — Paper Cups (GB/T27590-2011), Paper Bowls (GB/T27591-2011) and Paper Lunch Boxes (GB/T27589-2011) — came into force. Paper cups made to the new standard can no longer be used for alcoholic drinks, because the printed graphics on paper cups mostly use ethanol-based ink; this eco-friendly ink fades when exposed to alcohol. The reporter ran five test groups and invited Dong Jinshi, secretary-general of the Food Packaging Association and food packaging expert, to interpret the findings.

On June 1, those three recommended national standards took effect. This ends the previous situation in which paper product packaging had only industry standards and no national standards, and raises environmental requirements for paper packaging manufacturers and their upstream consumable suppliers. Disposable paper cups had long had only an industry standard and lacked a national standard. The new GB/T27590-2011 sets higher requirements for paper cup raw materials, additives, packaging and printing to protect consumer safety. Most paper cup companies are optimistic about the new standard, while some industry insiders say enforcement of the paper cup standard could be difficult.

Paper cups produced to the new national standard cannot be used to hold alcoholic drinks. Their printed graphics mostly use ethanol-based ink, an environmentally friendly ink that fades on contact with alcohol.

Do disposable paper cups sold in Zhengzhou comply with the new national standard?

The reporter carried out five test groups to observe results and invited Dong Jinshi, secretary-general of the Food Packaging Association and food packaging expert, to interpret them.

No printing at the cup rim or cup bottom

From June 1, the new national standard for paper cups began to be implemented.

The new national standard sets higher requirements for paper cup printing, raw materials, additives and other aspects, for example:

1. No printing within 15 mm of the cup rim down the cup body, and no printing within 10 mm of the cup bottom up the cup body.
2. Recycled materials must not be used as raw materials for paper cups.
3. Fluorescent whitening agents must not be intentionally added.
4. Environmentally friendly inks must be used; in the past, many manufacturers used inks containing toxic solvents such as benzene or toluene.
5. Paper cups should have no off odour, and neither the bottom nor the sides should leak or seep water.

So do the disposable paper cups sold in the Zhengzhou market meet the rules?

Yesterday, the reporter purchased six batches of paper cups from supermarkets and Zhengzhou Xinji Huanghe Food City for testing.

The reporter ran five test groups and asked Dong Jinshi to interpret them.

For all six cup types, the printed pattern distances were “non-compliant”

Test purpose: To check whether the distance between the printed pattern and the cup rim and cup bottom complies with the new national standard.

Test process: Using a ruler, measure six paper cups of different sizes bought from the wholesale market and supermarkets one by one, measuring from the cup rim and cup bottom to the nearest printed pattern.

Test results: Under the rules, printed patterns on paper cups should have clear outlines, uniform colour and no obvious colour spots, and no printing should appear within 15 mm of the cup rim down the cup body or within 10 mm of the cup bottom up the cup body. The measurements found that none of the six sample cups complied with the new national standard. All six cup bodies were fully covered with printed patterns; supermarket cup No. 1 had patterns less than 2 mm from the cup rim and cup bottom, while the other five cups had some distance from the rim and bottom but still failed.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi said the rule of no printing within 15 mm of the cup rim is intended to keep ink from entering the mouth, while the rule of no printing within 10 mm of the cup bottom is intended to prevent ink from contaminating the inner wall when cups are stacked.

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Test 2

Some paper cups seep badly after water is poured in

Test purpose: To test water seepage in the paper cups.

Test process: Pour 90℃ hot water into each of the six paper cups up to about 6 cm from the rim, place a paper tissue under each cup bottom, and let them stand.

Test results: After 15 minutes, supermarket cup No. 1 began to seep water, leaving signs of moisture on the tissue underneath; after 20 minutes, wholesale market cup No. 1 suddenly seeped badly, its body became very soft and it could hardly be picked up, and the tissue underneath was quickly fully soaked. The other four paper cups did not deform, and their tissues showed no water marks.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi said that if a paper cup cannot be held up and deforms easily, the paper used is of poor quality and lacks stiffness. A cup that leaks or seeps water also fails the standard, indicating that the material may be recycled waste paper or paper that is too damp. Consumers should choose cups with a full shape, no wrinkles and a certain thickness. Squeeze one by hand: a good paper cup springs back well, feels firm, and will not deform or become too hot to hold after hot water is added.

The inner film of the paper cups is plastic film; no paraffin-coated cups were found

Test purpose: To test the material used on the inner wall of the paper cups.

Test process: Water was poured into a large plastic cup, then the six numbered paper cup samples (three from a wholesale market and three from supermarkets) were placed in the water to soak and left to stand.

Test results: After 10 minutes, the cups were taken out one by one and their outer walls were torn open by hand; the plastic film attached to the inner wall immediately appeared. All six had film, and no paraffin-coated paper cups were found.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi said that the paper cups commonly used today have an outer paper layer and an inner coated paper layer, which is a polyethylene plastic film; the material should be food-grade polyethylene.

Polyethylene is a safe chemical substance in food processing. However, if poor materials are selected or processing technology is not up to standard, cracking and changes during the hot-melt or coating of polyethylene onto paper cups cannot be ruled out, and harmful substances may be produced. Therefore, before drinking water from a paper cup, consumers can first smell it for any off odour.

In addition, if the inner wall of a paper cup can be easily pierced after soaking, it indicates that the inner wall is paraffin. Today, however, paper cups basically do not use paraffin; most use PE film. Cups for hot drinks are not allowed to use paraffin, because paraffin melts at 50℃.

None of the six paper cup types contained fluorescent whitening agents

Test purpose: To detect whether the inside of the paper cups contains fluorescent whitening agents.

Test process: In the chemistry laboratory of Zhengzhou University, the reporter used a UV analyzer for irradiation. For easy comparison, a small packet of fluorescent whitening powder was placed nearby; under the UV analyzer, the fluorescent whitening powder immediately showed a purple glow.

The reporter placed the six paper cup samples bought from the wholesale market and supermarkets under the UV analyzer one by one and observed the colour inside the cups.

Test results: None of the six cups showed any colour change.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi explained that fluorescent whitening agents must not be added to paper cups. To make paper cups look whiter and conceal impurities, some manufacturers may add this substance, which is harmful to human health.

Reassuringly, none of the six batches of paper cups we investigated showed any colour change, indicating that they contained no fluorescent whitening agents.

Reminder: Consumers should not assume that paper cups which are too white are good; an overly white colour may well mean that fluorescent substances have been added.

Cups produced according to the new national standard

cannot be used to hold alcohol

Test purpose: To test whether the ink used for printed patterns on the paper cups is environmentally friendly.

Test process: The six batches of paper cups were cut into pieces and placed in six porcelain bowls; 75% ethanol was poured in until the pieces were submerged, and the bowls were left to stand.

Test results: After 10 minutes, the bowl containing scraps of supermarket paper cup No. 2 and wholesale market paper cup No. 1 paper...

— This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362079.html