GB 4806.14-2023 National food safety standard -Inks for food contact materials and articles
1 Scope
This standard is applicable to inks for food contact materials and articles and the printing ink layers formed by them.
2 Terms and definitions
2.1
inks for food contact materials and articles
inks intended to be printed on food contact materials and articles that are in direct or indirect contact with food but whose components may be transferred to food, including varnishes used in conjunction with inks
3 Product classification
Inks for food contact materials and articles can be classified into two categories based on whether they come into direct contact with food:
——Ink for direct contact with food: ink printed on the food contact surface of food contact materials and articles, intended to come into direct contact with food;
——Ink for indirect contact with food: ink printed on the non-food contact surface of food contact materials and articles, which is not intended to come into direct contact with food, but its components may be transferred to food.
4 Basic requirements
4.1 Inks for food contact materials and articles shall meet the requirements of GB 4806.1.
4.2 Manufacturers of inks for food contact materials and articles shall control the safety risks of ink products through measures such as formulation design, raw material selection, production process control, and product information dissemination.
4.3 Printing enterprises of food contact materials and articles shall control safety risks originating from ink through packaging design, raw material selection, printing process control, product information dissemination and/or addition of effective barrier layers, and minimize ink usage while achieving the intended printing results.
4.4 The production and printing processes of inks for food contact materials and articles shall meet the relevant requirements of GB 31603.
5 Technical requirements
5.1 Requirements for raw materials
5.1.1 Basic raw materials
5.1.1.1 The basic raw materials used in inks for direct contact with food shall be substances approved for use in GB 2760 and relevant announcements, and their quality specifications shall meet the requirements of relevant standards.
5.1.1.2 For inks for indirect contact with food, colorants based on lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium (VI), arsenic, antimony and selenium elements or their compounds shall not be used. And the colorants used shall meet the purity requirements for colorants specified in GB 9685. Other basic raw materials shall be substances approved for use in food contact materials and articles in China. Basic raw materials used in inks for direct contact with food may also be used in inks for indirect contact with food.
5.1.2 Additives
5.1.2.1 Additives used in inks for direct contact with food shall be substances approved for use in GB 2760 and relevant announcements, and their quality specifications shall meet the requirements of relevant standards.
5.1.2.2 Additives used in inks for indirect contact with food shall meet the requirements of GB 9685 and relevant announcements. Additives used in inks for direct contact with food may also be used in inks for indirect contact with food.
5.2 Sensory requirements
The sensory requirements for food contact materials and articles with printed ink shall meet those specified in Table 1.
1 Scope 2 Terms and definitions 3 Product classification 4 Basic requirements 5 Technical requirements 6 Others Annex A Determination of lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and arsenic in inks for food contact materials and articles
