New National Standard Bans Alcoholic Drinks in Paper Cups, Supermarket Products Fail Printing Requirements

[ppzhan abstract]

As of June 1, three recommended national standards — "Paper Cups" (GB/T27590-2011), "Paper Bowls" (GB/T27591-2011) and "Paper Lunch Boxes" (GB/T27589-2011) — officially came into force. Paper cups produced in accordance with the new national standards can no longer be used for alcoholic beverages, because the printed patterns on paper cups mostly use ethanol-based ink; this is an environmentally friendly ink that fades when it comes into contact with alcohol. The reporter carried out 5 sets of tests to observe the results, and invited Dong Jinshi, secretary-general of the Food Packaging Association and food packaging expert, to give his interpretation.

As of June 1, three recommended national standards — "Paper Cups" (GB/T27590-2011), "Paper Bowls" (GB/T27591-2011) and "Paper Lunch Boxes" (GB/T27589-2011) — officially came into force. This will change the previous situation in which paper product packaging had only industry standards and no national standards, and imposes higher environmental protection requirements on paper product packaging manufacturers and their upstream consumable suppliers. Previously, disposable paper cups had only industry standards and lacked a national standard. The new national standard (GB/T27590-2011) sets higher requirements for paper cup raw materials, additives, packaging and printing, so as to safeguard consumer safety. Regarding the implementation of the new standard, most paper cup companies hold an optimistic attitude, while some industry insiders say the new national standard for paper cups may be difficult to enforce.

Paper cups produced in accordance with the new national standard can no longer be used for alcoholic beverages, because the printed patterns on paper cups mostly use ethanol-based ink; this is an environmentally friendly ink that fades when it comes into contact with alcohol.

Do the disposable paper cups on the Zhengzhou market comply with the new national standard?

The reporter carried out 5 sets of tests to observe the results, and invited Dong Jinshi, secretary-general of the Food Packaging Association and food packaging expert, to give his interpretation.

No printing allowed at the bottom or rim of the cup

Starting June 1, the new national standard for paper cups began to be implemented.

The new national standard sets higher requirements for paper cup printing, raw materials, additives and so on, for example:

1. No printing within 15 mm of the cup rim down the cup body, and within 10 mm of the cup bottom up the cup body.
2. Recycled materials must not be used as raw materials for making paper cups.
3. Fluorescent whitening agents must not be added intentionally.
4. Environmentally friendly inks must be used; in the past, many manufacturers used inks containing toxic solvents such as benzene or toluene.
5. Paper cups should have no off odour, and neither the bottom nor the sides should leak or seep water.

Do the disposable paper cups now sold on the Zhengzhou market comply with the regulations?

Yesterday, the reporter purchased a total of 6 batches of paper cups from supermarkets and Zhengzhou Xinji Huanghe Food City for testing.

The reporter carried out 5 sets of tests and invited Dong Jinshi to give his interpretation.

For all 6 types of cups, the distance to the printed patterns is "non-compliant"

Test purpose: To test whether the distance between the printed patterns on paper cups and the cup rim and cup bottom complies with the new national standard.

Test process: Using a ruler, measure one by one the 6 paper cups of different sizes purchased from the wholesale market and supermarkets, measuring the distance from the cup rim and the cup bottom respectively to the nearest printed pattern.

Test results: According to the regulations, the printed patterns on paper cups should have clear outlines, uniform colour and no obvious colour spots, and there should be no printing within 15 mm of the cup rim down the cup body or within 10 mm of the cup bottom up the cup body. The measurements found that not one of the 6 sample cups complied with the new national standard. The cup bodies of all 6 paper cups were printed all over with patterns; the pattern on supermarket cup No. 1 was less than 2 mm from the cup rim and cup bottom, while the patterns on the other 5 cups were some distance from the cup rim and cup bottom, but none of them met the standard.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi said the standard that "no printing should be done within 15 mm of the cup rim down the cup body" is intended to keep ink from entering the mouth, while the standard that "no printing should be done within 10 mm of the cup bottom up the cup body" is intended to prevent ink from contaminating the inner wall of a cup when cups are stacked.

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NG> Test 2

Some paper cups seep water badly after being filled

Test purpose: To test the water seepage of the paper cups.

Test process: Pour 90℃ hot water into each of the 6 paper cups one by one, up to about 6 cm from the rim, then place a paper tissue under each cup bottom and let them stand.

Test results: After 15 minutes, supermarket cup No. 1 began to seep water, and the tissue underneath showed signs of being soaked; after 20 minutes, wholesale market cup No. 1 suddenly seeped water badly, its body was very soft and it could hardly be picked up, and the tissue underneath was quickly soaked completely. The other 4 paper cups showed no deformation, and there were no water marks on the tissues.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi said that if a paper cup cannot be held up and deforms easily, it shows that the paper used is of poor quality and lacks sufficient stiffness. A paper cup that leaks or seeps water also fails the standard, indicating that the material used may be recycled waste paper or paper that is too damp. Consumers should choose paper cups that are full in shape, free of wrinkles and of a certain thickness. Give one a squeeze: a good paper cup springs back well, feels firm, and will not deform or become too hot to hold after being filled with hot water.

The film inside the paper cups is plastic film; no paraffin-coated paper cups were found

Test purpose: To test the material used for the inner wall of the paper cups.

Test process: Water was poured into a large plastic cup, and then the six numbered paper cup samples (3 purchased from a wholesale market and 3 from supermarkets) were placed in the water to soak and left to stand.

Test results: After 10 minutes, the paper cups were taken out one by one and their outer walls torn open by hand; the plastic film attached to the inner wall immediately became visible. All six had film, and no paraffin-coated paper cups were found.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi said that the paper cups commonly used today consist of an outer layer of paper and an inner layer of coated paper — a polyethylene plastic film, the material of which should be food-grade polyethylene.

Polyethylene is a safe chemical substance in food processing, but if poor materials are chosen or the processing technology is not up to standard, it cannot be ruled out that cracking and changes may occur during the hot-melt application or coating of polyethylene onto the paper cup, generating harmful substances. Therefore, before drinking water from a paper cup, you can first smell it to check for any off odor.

In addition, if the inner wall of a paper cup can be easily pierced after soaking in water, it indicates that the inner wall is made of paraffin. However, paraffin is basically no longer used in paper cups today; most use PE film. Cups for hot drinks are not allowed to use paraffin, because paraffin melts at 50℃.

None of the 6 types of paper cups contained fluorescent whitening agents

Test purpose: To test whether the inside of the paper cups contains fluorescent whitening agents.

Test process: In the chemistry laboratory of Zhengzhou University, the reporter used a UV analyzer for irradiation. For easy comparison, a small packet of fluorescent whitening powder was placed nearby; under the UV analyzer, the fluorescent whitening powder immediately showed a purple glow.

The reporter placed the six paper cup samples purchased from the wholesale market and the supermarket under the UV analyzer one by one and observed the color inside the cups.

Test results: None of the six cups showed any color change.

Analysis: Dong Jinshi explained that fluorescent whitening agents must not be added to paper cups. To make paper cups look whiter and conceal impurities, some manufacturers may add this substance, which is harmful to human health.

Reassuringly, none of the 6 batches of paper cups we investigated showed any color change, indicating that they contained no fluorescent whitening agents.

Reminder: Consumers should not assume that paper cups which are too white are good; an overly white color may well mean that fluorescent substances have been added.

Cups produced according to the new national standard

cannot be used to hold alcohol

Test purpose: To test whether the ink used for the printed patterns on the paper cups is environmentally friendly.

Test process: The six batches of paper cups were cut into pieces and placed in six porcelain bowls, and 75% ethanol was poured in respectively until the pieces were submerged, then left to stand.

Test results: After 10 minutes, the bowl containing the scraps of supermarket paper cup No. 2 and wholesale market paper cup No. 1

— This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362079.html