From polymer processing, compounding, printing, food processing, filling, and recycling, there are multiple points at which metals, including heavy metals, can be introduced into food contact materials. The migration of metal-containing substances and in particular heavy metals represent multiple risks if not controlled or properly understood with likely impact on consumer health and contamination of recycling and/or composting streams.

In this whitepaper, our expert Kathelijn Nafzger, Application Specialist Food Contact, Intertek Polychemlab BV, describes the potential origin of metallic substances in food packaging, the regulatory context, and analytical strategies to monitor and quantify levels of these substances as potential migration substances.