Mineral oil in cartonboard food packaging does not pose a threat to consumer’s health, said the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) on December 15. The watchdog authority has published the results of a comprehensive survey that included 350 samples of food products packaged in virgin-fibre and recycled-fibre cartonboard. The results are clear: Neither selected ink components nor various mineral oils that were found in numerous samples pose health risks.
Dr Alison Gleadle, FSA Director of Food Safety, said: “This survey shows that food packaging can contain one or more different types of mineral oil. However, based upon the levels we found, we did not identify specific food safety concerns. Therefore, based on these survey results, people don’t need to change their eating habits.”
