These days, we are very conscious of what we put in our bodies, as the old saying goes, you are what you eat!  Food processors are very strict on their own in-house health and food safety procedures to minimise the risk of food borne illness and to provide the freshest, best tasting product possible.

But………. What about the packaging? Is it safe? Fit for purpose? Does it adversely affect the smell or taste of the food?

Is the cardboard going to absorb water while in the fridge? The last thing anyone wants to see, is a half dozen stubbies smashing across a double plugger wearers foot, because the handle on the six pack tore when picked out of the fridge at the local bottlo!                  Whilst jokes may be made about the tragedy of wasted beer, this is a serious hazard that needs to be controlled when creating safe packaging.

At CCS Packaging, we have recently been HACCP certified for our third year running against HACCP by an independent auditor.

So what is HACCP you may ask? It stands for: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.

This means we have the systems, procedures, and knowledge in place to identify any potential risks relating to products that we manufacture. And have controls to mitigate the risk.

We can assist clients in selecting the best materials, structural design considerations as well as provide information on press chemistry  utilised in meeting the requirements of the food packaging.

We do far more than just select a food grade cardboard.

We consider the:

*          TYPE OF FOOD – dry, greasy, moist , semi liquid.

*          STORAGE CONDITIONS, i.e., frozen, room temperature.

*          SERVING METHOD, i.e., microwaveable, oven able or room temperature.

*          BARRIER TYPE -absolute barrier or direct food contact between the outer carton and the food itself?

All these points must be considered when designing, selecting substrates , and deciding on press chemistry.

To also gain HACCP certification, there are internal hygiene, pest control, product re-call, building integrity and transport programs in place to ensure all products are contaminate free. It is paramount that materials, inks and varnishes do not affect the taste or the smell of the food product that our clients have put so much time into achieving that unique, perfect flavour and aroma.

We have based our HACCP system off the European framework regulation ec1935/2004.

For more information regarding how CCS Packaging can assist you with your food packaging requirements, please contact one of our team members and we can guide you through the process from design to delivery and everything in between.