New National Standards on the Way for Coated Paper and Molded Pulp Tableware

Industry standards serve as key benchmarks for economic activity in a sector. As China's industrialization began relatively late, standards in some industries remain incomplete. Recently, the National Paper Standardization Technical Committee said it will draft national standards for extrusion-coated paper for food packaging and molded pulp tableware, aiming to advance the industry and reinforce food safety.

To improve the standards system for paper tableware products, the National Paper Standardization Technical Committee plans to issue the national standard Molded Pulp Tableware, covering the safety performance (hygiene indicators, raw materials) and physical performance (dimensional deviation, capacity deviation, water leakage) of molded pulp tableware.

Extrusion-coated paper for food packaging is paper or paperboard used to wrap or hold food, made by coating one or both sides of a paper substrate with PE, PP, PET, or a film containing these three materials and then processing it into shape. Common market examples include low-basis-weight coated paper for hamburgers, pastries and similar items; kraft-paper-based coated paper for dried nuts such as sunflower seeds; and high-basis-weight coated paper and paperboard for paper cups, bowls and lunch boxes.

These coated papers come in numerous types and are consumed in large volumes, and they are materials that directly contact food. At present, China has no corresponding standard regulating such products. The planned national standard will specify safety performance (hygiene indicators, raw materials) and physical performance indicators for food-packaging coated paper, including basis weight deviation, cross-direction thickness difference, film basis weight deviation, adhesion, grease resistance, leakage, dyne value, and moisture at delivery.

Molded pulp tableware refers to paper tableware produced from pulp through forming, molding and drying processes, including molded paper cups, bowls, lunch boxes, plates and dishes. Made from virgin fiber pulp, these products are stronger than other comparable items, have high recycling value and are degradable, and are considered green and environmentally friendly. However, no national standard currently exists for molded paper tableware. To improve the standard system for paper tableware products, the National Paper Standardization Technical Committee will develop the national standard Molded Pulp Tableware. The standard will specify safety performance (hygiene indicators, raw materials) and physical performance (dimensional deviation, capacity deviation, water leakage).

——Content republished from China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361900.html