Food safety legislation for Europe

Good manufacturing practice

UPM Raflatac is the first self-adhesive laminate supplier to have all units in Europe certified according to the ISO 22000:2005 food safety standard. This certificate ensures that the products are designed and manufactured according to the European Good Manufacturing Practice Regulation, EU 2023/2006. The management systems are certified and regularly audited by a third-party auditing company and confirm our continuous effort to build a food safety culture into the DNA of our operations.

Declaration of Compliance (DoC)

A comprehensive Declaration of Compliance (DoC) proves the compliance with food safety regulations. It is the duty of each business operator in the packaging supply chain to secure on their behalf that the safety of the packaging materials is evaluated and that information about the intended use of the material is supplied to the next operator. The responsibility of assessing the safety of the final packaging is for the packer and brand owner.

UPM Raflatac Declarations of Compliance (DoCs) for food labeling film face materials define the recommended use and the legal compliance of the product component. In addition, these DoCs list any potentially migrating substances based on the definition in the Plastic Regulation EU 10/2011. Also, DoCs for adhesives and paper face materials use the same format as applicable.

European Regulation EC 1935/2004 concerns food contact materials

Our label material range for food complies with the European Regulation EC 1935/2004. This framework regulation applies to all food contact packaging materials in the area and ensures that all materials used for food contact do not transfer substances to the food in quantities large enough to:

• endanger human health
• cause unacceptable changes to the composition of the food
• weaken the properties of food regarding how it looks, tastes or smells

Regulation EU 10/2011 concerns packaging containing plastics

Regulation EU 10/2011 is a legal obligation that minimizes the risk of food contamination from any plastic layer of the packaging. Direct food labels with a plastic layer and all film labels applied to primary packaging must be supplied with Declarations of Compliance (DoCs) stating the conformance to relevant legal requirements, the substances controlled by EU 10/2011 and the recommended use of the product. Each company in the packaging supply chain is responsible for sharing DoCs for its products with key partners.

UPM Raflatac’s film label stock features face materials that are food safe including FTC food topcoat and corona films (PP/PE). FTC label films make legal compliance easy, provide options to improve your sustainability as well as your productivity, and support visual appeal that’s on-trend and in demand.

Framework Regulation EC 1935/2004 concerns paper labels and boards

Paper labels and boards must comply with the Framework Regulation EC 1935/2004, GMP-regulation and other relevant national legislations throughout Europe. Other components of a label or board – such as the adhesive or a plastic coating – must comply with the applicable parts of the Plastics Regulation.

Contact our food labeling experts for further compliance information and individual Declaration of Compliance (DoC) documents on each product component regarding UPM Raflatac paper and board materials for food.