Harmful mineral oils from the printing inks used on cardboard can migrate into food if recycled cardboard is used for food packaging. It may contaminate food even if the recycled cardboard is used for the corrugated card transport box that holds individual packs. In tests on experimental packs of fine noodles, researchers in Zurich, Switzerland, found that food rapidly absorbed 10 times the recommended limit for concentration of these contaminating oils from the transport box. The findings were published in Packaging Technology and Science.
The food safety watchdog has insisted there is no safety risk from the recycled cardboard boxes used for foods such as breakfast cereals, even though manufacturers admit they are altering or reviewing their packaging following the health concerns.
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