Toyo Printing Inks unveils new GMP-compliant offset inks for food packaging

Low-odor, low migration systems for paper and cardboard surface printing.

Company: Toyo Printing Inks

Technology Snapshot: Toyo Printing Inks, Inc., a member of the Japan-based Toyo Ink Group, one of the world’s largest ink manufacturers, recently brought to market the LP-9000 Toyo Life Premium Food LO/LM, a new series of sheetfed offset inks with low odor and low migration characteristics. Engineered and manufactured in accordance with EuPIA (European Printing Ink Association) guidelines and the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), the LP-9000 LO/LM product is suitable for use in printed packages for the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and other sensitive applications. This new low-migration offset series has been specially formulated for printing on the non-food contact surface of paper and cardboard media.

As expressed in the Group’s motto "For A Vibrant World," Toyo Printing Inks aims to set itself apart through innovative technologies that enrich all areas of daily life. With today’s announcement, Toyo Printing Inks delivers on this commitment to increased food safety and to protecting human and environmental health with the introduction of a new low-migration ink system. The LP-9000 LO/LM ink series is composed of raw materials from plant and renewable sources, which do not contain any drying agents. Instead, drying is achieved purely by substrate penetration without releasing any hexanal while drying, resulting in reduced odor intensity.

The new LP-9000 LO/LM inks have passed migration testing based on EU Regulation No 10/2011 and have been certified by the Germany-based ISEGA Institute. In addition, they adhere to the regulatory requirements of EC 1935/2004, EC No 2023/2006 and all national and international regulations within the scope of the Swiss Ordinance (Nestle Guidance Note on Packaging Inks) and the EuPIA Exclusion Policy for Printing Inks and Related Products.

Rukiye Kiter, offset R&D manager of Toyo Printing Inks said, “We are extremely pleased to announce our latest food packaging innovation that complies with all applicable packaging material legislation in Europe. The LP-9000 Toyo Life Premium Food LO/LM series was designed and produced with food safety in mind at our Manisa R&D Centre. We also worked with the national science and technological research agency TUBITAK on R&D projects that focus on our common vision of delivering innovative food packaging solutions through advanced science. TUBITAK was influential in facilitating the practical application of Toyo Printing Inks’ new ink systems to the global market, in particular the EU. This is important as we look to make greater inroads in strategic markets in Europe.

The LP-9000 Toyo Life Premium Food LO/LM ink range consists of process colours designed according to the ISO-2846 and ISO-12647 printing standards for CMYK print and proof works. Toyo Printing Inks has also developed the color pastes for color matching and a database software system that allow designers to accurately match Pantone and spot colors. The new formulations exhibit excellent ink transfer and very low misting even at high press speeds, Available as a 4-process color set, highly pigmented 12 base color, transparent and white.