The paper and board sector has a long-standing commitment to the protection of human health and the interests of consumers through the provision of safe and functionally effective materials.
Industry guideline ensures meeting the quality standards
The Confederation of European Paper Industries 
(CEPI) and the International Confederation of paper and board Converters in Europe (CITPA) have made the voluntary ‘Industry Guideline for the Compliance of Paper& Board Materials and Articles for Food Contact’ and an updated version was released in September 2012.
The guideline revision covers:
- the publication of the new CEPI Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
- the coming into force of Commission Regulation on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, (EC) No 10/2011)
- the update of German Recommendation on paper and board for food contact (BfR Rec. XXXVI)
- the concerns over the presence of mineral oil hydrocarbons in food
It gives guidance to ensure that paper and board meets the quality standards appropriate to their intended use in food contact. This means they will not endanger human health by causing an unacceptable change in the food’s composition or deterioration in the way the food tastes, looks, feels and smells.
Good Manufacturing Practice will supplement the Guideline
CEPI will also publish Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for the industry. Put simply, the Guideline spells out the rules, and the GMP describes a management system for those rules to be obeyed.