Henkel is driving forward the focus on food safe packaging adhesives solutions

WITH increasing awareness on food safety globally, leading global adhesive manufacturer Henkel Adhesive Technologies underscores reliable packaging in its adhesive solutions.

To understand how the company’s products and services contribute to the overall safety and quality of brands in the food and beverage sector, FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal spoke with Rajat Agarwal, currently Henkel Corporate Vice President and Head of the Packaging & Consumer Goods Adhesives division for the Asia-Pacific region.  Agarwal has worked with Henkel for the past 20 years, and his extensive background in polymer science and chemical engineering have landed him positions that include Innovation Head of Transport & Metal (Henkel Germany), Head of Surface Treatment Platform (Henkel Germany), and Head of Product Development for Automotive (Henkel USA), earlier in his career.

“Food safety is an important topic for consumers in Asia. Consumers in the region are more vigilant about food quality and draw more attention to food safety and sustainability. We think this will have greater impact on consumer preference in the coming years,” said Agarwal. 

Henkel acknowledges that consumers’ stronger demand for safer and healthier products will redefine the food packaging industry landscape in the long term. The increasing number of legislations and regulations on food safety will also influence the market.  Further, there will be rising interest in transparency along the entire food packaging value chain in light of the globalization of food contact legislation.

Rajat Agarwal, Henkel Corporate Vice President and Head of  the Packaging & Consumer Goods Adhesives division for the Asia-Pacific region

Responding to market requirements

In the fast-growing markets of Southeast Asia and China, for example, regulations and enforcement in relation to food safety are becoming more stringent. China, in particular, is looking to enforce stricter and more complicated legislations. In addition to the new Food Safety Law that came into effect in October 2015, a revision of the Food Safety Law implemented in 2009, China has announced 53 national food safety and food contact materials standards in November 2016. These are in line with the country’s efforts to align with international food safety standards such as EU and NA legislations that set a higher bar for the food packaging industry.

Henkel ensures compliance with global and country-specific requirements and regulations. Its Product Safety and Regulatory Affairs team works on Product Risk Assessment, Declaration of Compliance (DoC), and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance to meet the requirements not just of regulators but consumers as well. 

In Europe, Henkel looks into legal requirements in terms of compliance and food contact materials, which include packaging materials and containers for transporting food as defined by the European Commission. An example of these requirements is the risk assessment needed for each stage of the packaging supply chain. With this, Henkel recognizes its responsibility to conduct a risk assessment on the adhesive, it being part of the packaging value chain.

“Food safety is very important in the food packaging industries as reflected in the distinct desire of our customers for increasing support on food safe packaging. As an adhesive manufacturer, Henkel has been a strategic partner to the packaging industry for decades, so we are deeply committed to help protecting brands and consumers by offering innovative adhesives and service to improve food safety and sustainability of packaging,” Agarwal shared.

Boosting industry competence

To help customers in pursuing risk assessment for packaging, Henkel leverages its unique Triple Safety Evaluation for food contact-intended adhesives. This comprises supplier information assessment, analytical assessment of raw materials and final products, and toxicological checks. 

The company can conduct evaluations on every production or process level from raw materials to final products, with the result to be provided to the customer through the Henkel Food Contact Statement. This report reflects the company’s emphasis on ensuring transparency on compliance obligations. This focus on transparency translates into efforts to extend communication on food safe packaging to ensure a broader stakeholder reach from packaging developers and experts, food safety managers to plant managers, brand owners and retailers through consumers.

Henkel views its commitment to ensuring food safety as a key part of the company’s overall sustainability efforts. As such, it invests in solvent-free solutions to minimize VOC emission, and also optimize process and system to reduce waste and improve occupational safety.  

Agarwal shared: “Henkel’s vision is to be ahead of the legislation, the market, the media, on developing food safe packaging adhesives committed to protecting brands and consumers.”

Innovative adhesive solutions

Henkel currently provides food packaging adhesives for the paper converting, end of line packaging, label adhesives, and flexible packaging and coating markets. Its adhesive solutions are used in packaging applications for cereal boxes, beverage bottle and glass labelling, potato chip packages, straw attachment and film packaging for sausages and cheese.  

The company has developed a unique and innovative series of adhesives. Its Liofol Smart Cure, for instance, features a sophisticated curing mechanism to prevent migration of substances from the sealing film to the food. Smart cure adhesives enable lamination to cut curing time from weeks to just a few days, thereby achieving fast Primary Aromatic Amines (PAA) decay and reducing migration risks.

Henkel’s adhesive solutions are used in packaging applications for cereal boxes, beverage bottle and glass labelling, potato chip packages. Its products are designed for the paper converting, end of line packaging, label adhesives, and flexible packaging and coating markets

Henkel’s Ultra Low Monomer adhesives contain only a minimum amount of free isocyanate monomers, which helps lower the PAA levels that can be formed from the outset. These products are suitable for film-film and film-foil laminates that show increased resistance to aggressive fillings or hot water during boiling processes. One of the adhesives in this range is the Loctite Liofol LA 3712 / LA 6222, a 2-K solvent-based laminating adhesive that can be used for a large variety of laminates. Ideal for medium to medium-high performance and factually PAA-free soon after lamination, it boasts an isocyanate monomer content far below 0.1%, exempting it from further regulation under the ECHA proposal for a restriction on diisocyanates (dated October 2016). This new adhesive system allows for slitting within 24 hours, boosts conversion productivity and will not require training for the safe handling of diisocyanates.  

The company has also developed a new coating weight measurement system for flexible laminates- LIOSCAN. In addition to transparent films, it can be used for printed or metallised films and aluminium of various thicknesses. It is an inline, contactless and non-destructive product that can indicate any deviation from the specified coating weight. With this function, it can help improve operational reliability, reduce material wastes and minimise the risks of potential claims.

360-degree service

With its expertise in food-safe solutions, Henkel offers customers service that covers the entire value chain—from raw material selection, product development and analytical assessment to technical customer service. On top of this, the company organizes exclusive customer events and training programs in a bid to provide professional education opportunities to clients. 

The company started a comprehensive European knowledge platform, the Food Safe Packaging Portal (www.henkel.com/foodsafety), to serve as a source of information to the food industry, providing insights and data on the entire production process along the whole value chain. The company leverages the packaging portal to address key topicsand developments in the area of food safe packaging. The portal offers webinars, white papers and videos on key topics in the area of food safe packaging for the European market.

Meanwhile, the company reiterates the value of innovation and safety in the adhesive-related aspects of food packaging through its Food Safe Packaging Initiative.  Henkel complements its range of safe adhesives for food packaging with efforts to ensure an open dialog amongst industry experts and collaborators to guarantee continued work in achieving safe and sustainable food safe packaging.

The company’s commitment to share its knowledge and expertise in this field is mirrored in its Food Safety Training Centre, a venue for adhesive experts to share their know-how on key food safety topics. The centre offers certified academy courses, interactive live webinars and e-learning sessions.

With the launch of the global Packaging Portal and the Food Safe Packaging Initiative Henkel continues to advance its vision of food safe packaging that not only helps to protect brands and consumers but also serves the demands and needs of the industry.